This is a digital copy of a book that was preserved for generations on library shelves before it was carefully scanned by Google as part of a project
to make the world's books discoverable online.
It has survived long enough for the copyright to expire and the book to enter the public domain. A public domain book is one that was never subject
to copyright or whose legal copyright term has expired. Whether a book is in the public domain may vary country to country. Public domain books
are our gateways to the past, representing a wealth of history, culture and knowledge that's often difficult to discover.
Marks, notations and other marginalia present in the original volume will appear in this file - a reminder of this book's long journey from the
publisher to a library and finally to you.
Usage guidelines
Google is proud to partner with libraries to digitize public domain materials and make them widely accessible. Public domain books belong to the
public and we are merely their custodians. Nevertheless, this work is expensive, so in order to keep providing this resource, we have taken steps to
prevent abuse by commercial parties, including placing technical restrictions on automated querying.
We also ask that you:
+ Make non-commercial use of the files We designed Google Book Search for use by individuals, and we request that you use these files for
personal, non-commercial purposes.
+ Refrain from automated querying Do not send automated queries of any sort to Google's system: If you are conducting research on machine
translation, optical character recognition or other areas where access to a large amount of text is helpful, please contact us. We encourage the
use of public domain materials for these purposes and may be able to help.
+ Maintain attribution The Google "watermark" you see on each file is essential for informing people about this project and helping them find
additional materials through Google Book Search. Please do not remove it.
+ Keep it legal Whatever your use, remember that you are responsible for ensuring that what you are doing is legal. Do not assume that just
because we believe a book is in the public domain for users in the United States, that the work is also in the public domain for users in other
countries. Whether a book is still in copyright varies from country to country, and we can't offer guidance on whether any specific use of
any specific book is allowed. Please do not assume that a book's appearance in Google Book Search means it can be used in any manner
anywhere in the world. Copyright infringement liability can be quite severe.
About Google Book Search
Google's mission is to organize the world's information and to make it universally accessible and useful. Google Book Search helps readers
discover the world's books while helping authors and publishers reach new audiences. You can search through the full text of this book on the web
at http : //books . google . com/|
Digitized
by Google
i
Digitized
by Google
\^
1}J&
Digitized by CjOOQIC
Digitized
by Google
Digitized
by Google
Digitized
by Google
7^
2,(n
Digitized
by Google
Digitized
by Google
Digitized
by Google
a
z
o
X
o
<
Digitized by
Google
MEMORIALS
OF A
HALF-CENTURY
BV
BELA HUBBARD
^'
A
* I have been at a great feast, and stolen the scraps."
Lovis Labor Lost. — Shaks.
*^ . . various, that the mind
Of desultory man, studious of change,
And pleased with novelty, might be indulged."
The 7Vw>t.— CowpER
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
NEW YORK & LONDON
G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS
i88:
?-■
Digitized
by Google
COPYRIGHT BY
G. p. PUTNAM'S SONS
x887
Press of
G. P. PuTNAM*s Sons
New York
May 1913
Digitized by LjOOQIC
"The notes of a single observer, even in a limited district, describing
accurately its features, civil, natural and social, are of more interest, and
often of more value, than the grander view and broader generalizations of
history.
" In a country whose character and circumstances are constantly changing,
the little facts and incidents, which are the life of history, soon pass from
the minds even of the present generation.'* — Anon.
Digitized
by Google
Digitized
by Google
PREFACE.
THE writer came to Michigan, a youth, in the spring
of 1835, and settled in the town of Springwells,
two miles from the western limits of Detroit, then a city
of less than 5000 inhabitants. On or near the spot of his
first abode, upon the banks of our noble river, he has
dwelt for half a century, and until the spreading city has
absorbed the intervening farms.
Even a few years ago his present residence was so
completely in the country, that the familiar rural sights
and sounds were but little banished. The influences
thus surrounding him are visible in many of the essays
which make up this book, and which are in part compiled
from his Diary.
Such are the chapters upon the seasons and upon the
inhabitants, human and brute, of the neighborhood. Of
the other papers, some will be recognized as having been
read before the Detroit Scientific Association, and State
and County Pioneer societies, and some have already
received publication in newspapers and pioneer col-
lections.
In the essays upon climate, the author ventures to
believe, will be found something of merit, in the way of
original observation and research. The character of our
seasons he has endeavored to portray, less by attempt
at vivid description, than by the plain statement of
facts. Anything really new, on subjects of such univer-
sal interest, may prove of more than local value.
V
Digitized
by Google
vi PREFACE.
The reflection that many of these memorials may pos- j
sess a value, at least in the eyes of partial friends — alas ! I
how few now — and may serve a purpose in the preser- ^
vation of facts and phenomena which are fast being lost
with the rapidly passing years, has been the induce-
ment to their compilation into a volume. ♦
B. H.
ViNEWOOD, December y 1886.
^' digitized by Google
L'ENVOI.
Go forth, little book, bark of destiny, freighted with the records and
recollections of many desultory hours. Take thy chance upon the stream
which sweeps all things along. Pleasing to the writer has been his task,
and little will he take account with fate, whether favoring winds waft thee
into a friendly port, or the wayward current drift thee aside, to be stranded
on the shallows of oblivion.
Digitized
by Google
Digitized
by Google
f^
CONTENTS.
SCENERY AND DESCRIPTION.
PAGE.
Scenery of the Lakes — 1-18
Charlevoix, Description of Voyage, 2. — The Lake Plateaus, 3.
— ^The two Peninsulas, topography, 5. — Romance of Early
Travel, 7. — ^The Ocean Lake, 9. — The Straits, before and after
Colonization, 12.— River Scenery, 15.
Lake Superior in 1840 10-62
The Exploring Party, 21. — ^The Route — Mackinac, 23. — Straits
of Ste. Marie, 24.— At the Sault, 28. — Coasting, 31. — The Grand
Sable, 32. — Pictured Rocks, 36. — Azoic and Mineral Region,
49. — Adventure at the Ontonagon, 53. — La Pointe — Pcre Mar-
quette, 59.
A Michigan Geological Expedition in 1837 63-90
The Party Introduced, 65. — The Wagon Journey, 67. — River
Voyaging, 69. — Descending the Shiawassee — Indian Clearings,
70. — A Primeval Forest, 72. — Saginaw. 75. — Personnel — Dr.
Houghton — Our Fourth Member, 76. — The Tittabawassee —
Midland Solitudes, 80. — The Solitude Broken, 83. — Descend-
ing the Saginaw, 84. — Coasting the Bay, 85. — Canoe Voyaging
on Lake Huron, 87.
HISTORICAL AND ANTIQUARIAN.
Time of Universal Prosperity, and what came of it.... 91-105
A new Eldorado, 93. — Landlooking, 95. — Eligible Sites — Paper
Cities, 96.— Flush Times, 97.— Wild-cat Banking, 98.— Hard
Times, 100. — Ruins, loi. — Reverses, 103. — Restoration, 105.
ix
Digitized
by Google
X CONTENTS.
PAGB.
French Habitants of the Detroit 107-154
Part I. — Introductory, 109. — The old Regime, no. — Coloniza-
tion, 113. — The Detroit, 115. — Land-titles and Farms, 116. —
First Settlers, 117. — Agriculture, 119.— Farm Implements, 121.
—Vehicles, 122. — Canadian Ponies, 124. — Orchards, 125. —
Pear Trees, 127.
Part II. — French Homesteads, 131.— Windmills, 135.— Cos-
tumes,. 136. — Society — Amusements. 139. — White-fishing, 142.
— Patriotism, 143.— Education, 146. — Language, 149.— Voy-
ageurs, 150. — Boat Songs, 152.
The Naming of Lake Ste. Claire '55-175
Second Centennial Anniversary, 156. — Historical Address, 157.
— Le Sieur de la Salle — His earlier Expeditions, 158. — First
Knowledge of the Straits — Incidents, 159. — First Sail-vessel on
the Lakes, 162.— The "Griffin" arrives at Lake Ste. Claire,
163. — Origin of the name of the Lake, 164.— The Lady Claire,
165. — The Christening — Surroundings, 166. — ^Fate of the
Griffin, 169. — New Schemes of La Salle, 170. — Discovery of
Louisiana, 171. — Death and character of La Salle. 173. — Hon-
ors to his Memory — A Suggestion, 174.
Indians in Michigan 177-187
Aboriginal population, 179. — Chippewas of Saginaw, 181. —
Pottawatomies and Ottawas, 183. — Trading — Fire-water, 184.
— Civilized Ottawas, 185.
Policy of the Government towards the Indians 187-198
Indian Titles— Treaties, 188.— Indian Character, 189.— De-
mands of Civilization, 190. — Reservations — Agencies, 192. —
Errors in Policy, 193. — Indian Capacity for Civilization, 194.
— True Policy, 195. — The Consummation, 197.
The Mound-Builders in Michigan 199-261
Part I. — General Character and Distribution of the Works, 201.
— Defensive Works, 203. — Circular Works, 205. — Tumuli, 206.
— Modes of Burial — Entombing, 208. — Monument Mounds,
210. — Contents of the Mounds, 211. — Pottery, ^13.
Part II. — Indian Antiquities at Springwells, 219. — Tumuli at
the Sand-hills, 220. — Exploration — Contents, 222. — Intrusive
Burials, 224. — Carsten*s Mound, 226. — Circular Earthwork,
Digitized
by Google
f
CONTENTS. xi
PACE.
227. — The Great Mound at River Rouge, 228. — Festival of the
Dead, 231. — Cremation, 233. — Modern Occupation, 234. — Ex-
ploration of the Mound, 234. — ^A Vast Necropolis, 237. — Past
and Present, 238.
Part III — Ancient Garden-beds of Michigan, 241. — Earliest
Notice, 243. — Classification, 245. — Beds at Three Rivers, 247.^
Kalamazoo, 248. — Prairie Ronde, 249. — Gardencsque Plats,
250. — Botanical Gardens, 251. — Association with other Earth-
works, 252. — Origin and Age — Conjectures, 253. — Later Inves-
tigations, 254.
FAUNA AND FLORA.
Fish and Fishing 263-277
Pole and Line, 265. — Prosaic Modes, 266. — Seine Fishing, 268.
— On the Upper Lakes, 269. — Whitefish — Life History, 272.
— Lake and River Trade, 275. — ^The Fishing Season, 276.
Birds of my Neighborhood 279-320
Part I.— Aquatic Birds, 281.— Gregarious Birds, 285.— Black-
birds, 286.— Wild Turkeys, 288.— -Birds of Prey, 289.— Winter
Birds— Harbingers of Spring, 290. — Wild Birds Domesticated,
293. — A Good Talker, 294.
Part II. — Our Birds Further Considered, 297.— The Crow,
299. — A Black Parliament, 303. — Crow Character, 305.— The
Turkey, as our National Emblem, 306. — A Pigeon Roost,
307. — Our Northern Mocking-birds, 310.— Song-birds — Game
Laws, 312. — Birds as Insect Destroyers, 313.— The European
Sparrow, 316. — Bird ways, 317.— Bird Gratitude, 319.
Four-footed Inhabitants 321-343
Predatory Animals, 323. — The .Wolverine, 325. — Nut Collec-
tors, 327. — Deers, Wild and Tame, 330. — Traits of Domesti-
cated Animals, 333. — Free Commoners, — ^Veto, 335. — Medoc
— Dash — A capacious mouth, 337. — Dog Chat, 338. — Con-
cerning Cats — Nora, 339. — Tom and Jerry, — ^A Music-lover,
341.
Wild Animals of Michigan 345-367
Our existing Mammalia, 347.— Plantigrades, 348. — Carnivores,
Digitized
by Google
Xli CONTENTS,
PAGE.
350.— Rodents, 353.— Ruminants, 356.— Animals Formerly
Abounding, 359. — Trapping — The trade in Furs, 360.
The Beaver, 361-367
Beaver-made Country, 362. — As an Engineer, 365. — His Social
Qualities, 366.
Trees,— Their Relations to us. Economic and Scientific. 369-388
Our Forests a Century ago, 371.— Results of Settlement, 373.
—Forest Destruction, 374.— Fencing— Fuel— Clearings-
Lumbering— Forest Fires, 375.— Relations to Climate, 377.—
Results of Forest Removal, 379.— Old World Experiences, 380.
— New World Experiences, 382.— Forest Economy— Home
Efforts, 385.- Legislation— Fencing in of Stock, 386.— Plant-
ing, 388.
Trees, in their Social Relations 389-415
Natural Forms, — Individual Expression, 39i.-Whitewood, 393.
Maple, 394. — Ash, 395. — Linden, 396. — Sycamore, 397. —
Beech, 3^.— Birch, 399.— Oak, 400. — Walnut, 401 .—Chestnut
—Poplar, 403. — Pepperidge— Willows, 404. — Elm, 406. — Ever-
greens, 408. — Rapid Tree Growth, 409. — Planting Roadways,
410. — Trees as Scavengers, 411. — Hostility to Trees, 412.^
Sylvan Spirits, — Classic Fancies, 413. — ^Trees as Friends, 415.
CLIMATOLOGY.
Climate of Detroit and the Lake Region. Part 1 4x7-450
The Controlling Element — Isotherms, 421. — The Lake
Region a Plateau, 425. — Temperature as Modified by the
Lakes, 426. — Our Seasons — Comparisons, 429. — Prevailing
Winds — The Michigan Fruit Region, 430. — Rainfall — Sources,
432. — As Controlled by the Seasons, 435. — Maximum and
Minimum Tendencies, 437. — Monthly Precipitation, United
States, 438. — Maximum and Minimum Years of Rainfall, 440.
— General Survey of our Seasons, 442. — Comparisons — Con-
trasts, 444. — Weather Predicates, 445. — Natural Classifica-
tion of our Seasons, 447. — Peculiarities of our Climate —
Advantages, 448.
Part II. — Additional Observations 452-461
Temperature and Rainfall since 1874, 452- — Mean Temperature
Digitized
by Google
CONTENTS, XIU
and Rainfall of the Seasons,— 1835 to 1886, 454.— Season
Fluctuations, Maximum and Minimum Years, 456.— Grouping
of Years, 458. — Annual Fluctuations— Reign of Law, 459.
Part III.— Periodical Changes in the Lake Levels, Rain-
fall, Temperature and Sun-spots, and their Relations
TO each other 460-482
Lake Fluctuations, 461.— Periodical Variations, 462.— Lake
Erie Fluctuations prior to 1838, 464.— High and Low Levels,
465.— Periodicities, 467.— Temperature and Rainfall Curves,
469.— Sun-spot and Lake Curves,— 1769-1834, 470.— Curves
of Sun-spots, Temperature, Rainfall and Lake, 1834-1886,
473.__Relationships, 476.— Times of Increase and Decrease,
477.— Summary, 478.— A Meteorological Horoscope, 479.
The Winter Season 483-5^7
Ordinary Features, 485.— Mild and Open Winters, 487.— Class-
ification, 490.— Cold and Snowy Winters, 491.— Storms of
Wintry Time, 493.— Phenomenal Cold, 495.— Unclassifiable
Winters, 496.— A Violent Reversal, 498.— A Typical Season,
4g9.-_Forest Occupations, 501.— Visit to the Pine Woods,
503. — Winter Enjoyments, 504.
Spring-tide 509-524
Characteristic Weather, 511.— Floods, 513.— Transitions-
Vicissitudes, 515.— Contrasts, 517.— English Springs, 518.—
Indications, 519. — A Spring Morning, 520. — Gifts of Spring
—Flowers— Tints, 521.— Progress, 524.— A Typical Season,
525-
Our Summers 529-551
Realization, 511. — Tropical Characters, 532. — Insect Life, 534.
— Voices of the Night, 535. — Moonlight, 536. — Heated Terms,
537.— Summer Storms, 539.— Gales —Extremes —Frosts,
541' — A Typical Season, 543. — Compensations, 545. — Enjoy-
ment of Summer, 546. — Cloud-land, 547. — Sunsets, 548. —
Close of Day, 550.
Autumn Time 553-57^
Before the Frosts, 555. — After the Frosts, 556. — Indian Sum-
Digitized
by Google
xiv COlTfEJ^TS,
mer, 558. — Phenomenal Seasons, 561. — Dry Seasons, 562.—
Effects of Drought — Fires — Frosts, 563. — ^A very Dry Year,
565. — Normal Seasons, 567,— A Typical Autumn, 568.
The Ripening of the Year 573-S8i
Autumnal Changes, 575. — Progress — Tree Liveries, 576. —
Contrasts — Shrub Tints, 579. — Nature as a Color Painter,
580.
Digitized
by Google
ILLUSTRATIONS.
SCENERY AND DESCRIPTION.
PAGB*
View on Detroit River from Old Knaggs House, Wind-mill Point,
Springwells (looking up), 1837 Frontispiece.
Old Knaggs House (author's early residence) 17
Sault Ste. Marie, in 1840 29
Grandes Sables, from the Lake 33
Grandes Sables, from above '. 35
The Pictured Rocks, distant view 37
La Portaille 41
Gothic Rock 43
La Chapelle, from the Lake 45
La Chapelle, from within 47
View from the Cliff Range 51
Falls at mouth of Montreal River 57
P^e Marquette, from the Statue, City Hall, Detroit ' 61
HISTORY AND ANTIQUITIES.
French Voyageur, from oil portrait, Montreal, 1835 '^
French Plough of the olden time 120
French Carryall (carriole) 121
French Pony Cart . 123
French Pear Trees, Detroit River 130
Old Clergy-House, Sandwich 134
French Summer Costume (man) 136
French Summer Costume (woman) 137
French Winter Costume (man) , . . ; 138
French Winter Costume (woman) 139
The Griffin, — First Sailing-vessel on the Lakes 163
La Salle, from Statue at City Hall, Detroit 175
Diagram of Ancient Earthworks, Macomb County 202
Pottery from Mounds at Grand Rapids 214
Digitized
by Google
xvi ILLUSTRATIONS,
Pottery from Mounds, Wayne County 218
Diagram of Ancient Earthworks, Springwells 22 1
The Great Mound at River Rouge 230
Ancient Garden-beds, Grand River Valley 257
Ancient Garden-beds, St. Joseph River Valley 258
Ancient Garden-beds, Western Michigan . . 259
Ancient Garden-beds, Kalamazoo County 260
Ancient Garden-beds, Prairie Ronde 261
Ancient Garden-beds (wheel-shaped), Kalamazoo 261
FAUNA AND FLORA.
Trees in Winter : — Whitewood 394
A Forest Whitewood 395
Maple 396
Ash 397
Linden 398
Sycamore 399
Beech 400
Birch 401
White Oak 402
Black Walnut 403
Hickory 404
Cotton-wood Poplar 405
Pepperidge 406
Young Pepperidge 407
White (American) Elm 409
CLIMATOLOGY.
Chart of Isothermal lines, showing influence of the Lakes upon Tem-
perature 420
Diagram, showing Monthly Precipitation, United States 439
Diagram, showing Annual Rainfall, Detroit, 1835-1886 451
Diagram, showing Mean Annual and Summer and Winter Temperature
and Rainfall, Detroit • 457
Diagram (No. i) showing Curves of the Sun-spots, and Lake Erie
Levels, 1769-1834 460
Diagram (No. 2) showing Curves of the Lake Levels, Rainfall, Tem-
perature and Sun-spots, 1834-1886 466
Winter morning in a Michigan lumber camp 502
Digitized
by Google
SCENERY OF THE LAKES.
Digitized
by Google
" Were we always to sail as I did then, with a serene sky in a most
charming climate, and on water as clear as that of the purest fountain ; .
were we sure of finding everywhere secure and agreeable places to pass the
night in, where we might enjoy the pleasure of hunting at a small expense,
breathe at our ease the purest air, and enjoy the prospect of the finest
countries in the universe, we might possibly be tempted to travel to the end
of our days. •
** Each day a new situation, chosen at pleasure ; a neat, commodious house,
built and furnished with all necessaries, in less than a quarter of an hour,
with a pavement of flowers springing up on a carpet of the most beautiful
green ; on all sides sintple and natural beauties, unadulterated and inimita-
ble by any art. If these pleasures suffer a little interruption, whether by
hard weather or some unforeseen accident, it is only to render them more
sensibly felt at a second enjoyment." — Cha&levoix, Description of a voyage
to the Detroit of Lake Erie, 172 1,
Digitized
by Google
SCENERY OF THE LAKES.
FROM the great Appalachian chain — the mountain
region that determines the course of the rivers
which fall into the Atlantic on the one side and the Mis-
sissippi on the other — the traveller, bound westward,
passes abruptly into the immense valley of the Missis-
sippi, and northerly into the famous ** Basin of the
Lakes,'* as termed by geographers.
But this term is a misnomer, for, like most fresh-water
lakes, these bodies of water occupy an elevated plateau ;
the summit, in fact, of the vast expanse of land which
spreads out between the AUeghanies and the Rocky
Mountains. No large streams flow into them, and they
drain very limited areas. On the contrary, the Ohio, the
Wabash, and other large tributaries of the great Missis-
sippi, have their sources within a few miles of the lake
borders, yet drain into the Southern Gulf, while the great
rivers of British America, commencing near the lakes,
have their outlets in the northern seas. The magnificent
St. Lawrence alone, finding its supply in these sources,
pursues its eastward way to the Atlantic.
Each lake, it is true, has its separate and deep basin,
or, more properly, chasm. But, unlike lakes set in the
gorges of mountain regions, or streams which collect the
drainage of large valleys, these basins are always full to
the brim, yet never overflow. No sudden rise of the
waters ever swells to destructive floods ; a difference of a
3
Digitized
by Google
^ SCEAER Y OF THE LA ICES.
few feet only being the entire change of level which is
occasioned by the extremes of the seasons or the most
copious rains and thaws.
The great American lakes may well be considered a
distinguishing feature of this continent. They occupy
nearly one hundred thousand square miles of its surface,
and contain more than one half of all the fresh water on
the globe.
Lake Erie is shallow, the mean depth probably not
much exceeding lOO feet. But the chasms filled by the
lakes above are, in places, 900 to 1000 feet deep ; so that
while their surfaces range from 232 feet above the ocean
— the level of Lake Ontario — to 603 feet — the level of
Lake Superior — their bottoms are far below the level of
the sea.
From the level of the chief of the lakes, each surface
below falls by steps ; the water either passing over cata-
racts, or by swift currents through the connecting chan-
nels. Lakes Huron and Michigan are on nearly one
level, 25 feet below Lake Superior; Erie is 13 feet below'
the level of Huron, and Ontario, by the grand cataract
and rapids of Niagara, is brought to a still lower descent
of 333 feet.
With the exception of Lake Superior, the lake borders
are marked by no lofty or rugged cliffs. The lower
peninsula of Michigan, bordered by three of the great
lakes, partakes of the general undulating character of the
Mississippi valley; nowhere rising into mountains nor
sinking into deep valleys. In the southerly half, swells
of land composing its water-shed attain to from 300 to
600 feet above Lake'*Erie, and occasionally, rounded knobs
rise a hundred feet above the surrounding elevations.
The northerly half is more elevated, the general water-
Digitized
by Google
THE TWO PENINSULAS,
5
shed being 700 or 800 feet, and near Otsego Lake rising
to 1 100 feet above Lake Erie.
From these water-sheds the surface descends by
steppes, or inclines, uniformly to the margin of the lakes.
A belt of flat, heavily-wooded country, underlaid with
clay, borders the eastern side ; while Lake Michigan is
margined by steep bluffs of sand.
Beyond these border tracts a varied surface is pre-
sented of alternating timbered lands and openings, of
flat and rolling surfaces, with numerous lakes and
marshes. These are the unfailing sources of many deep
streams of clear water.
In the southern part of the State a few rolling prairies
occur, the largest being 18 miles in length, — the prelude
to the more magnificent prairie country of Illinois and
the regions beyond.
The rocks of this peninsula belong to the carbonifer-
ous and devonian systems, and are all deeply covered
with the drift of the glacial epoch. It is a country of
mingled gravels, sands and clays, covering the rocks —
which seldom outcrop — to a depth often of several hun-
dred feet ; and from these the soils are derived.
Little of the peninsula scenery partakes of the grand-
eur of primitive and broken districts, but it combines
the variety — so essential in a landscape — of woodland,
glade, and water in a manner which often seems the
result of art, but which is not less truly inimitable.
The character of the ** openings " is that of a majestic
orchard of oaks and hickories, varied by small prairies,
grassy lawns, and clear lakes. They resemble those
exquisite pictures of park scenery, where the vision
roams amid groups of lofty oaks and over open glades
gemmed with flowers ; while the distant woodland bounds
Digitized
by Google
6 SC£JV£A*V OF THE LAKES.
the horizon, and the velvet-skirted lake reflects the light
from the open prairie, or is faintly visible from the
bosom of the glen.
Such scenes are destitute of the majesty of mountain
aspects, but they have that pervading, tranquil beauty
which forsakes the lofty hill-side and the hoary cliff.
They present Nature in her simple loveliness, without
her sterner aspect and masculine attire.
Of the character of our wooded districts I propose to
speak elsewhere.
The topographical features of the upper peninsula of
Michigan are very different from those of the lower,
and correspond to its different geological character. A
large part of the country is rough and broken, though
it nowhere composes very elevated mountain chains.
Rocks of the silurian and paleozoic systems make fre-
quent outcrops, and rise into steep ledges and sharp
peaks. In the Huron and Porcupine mountains they
attain heights of looo to 1300 feet above Lake Superior.
These consist of ranges of broken hills and knobs, often
mere naked granite rock, bare of timber, while the valleys
between are heavily timbered and fertile.
The lake coast presents a succession of bold and rocky
cliffs, with leaping streams and dunes of sand, which give
many strange and wild features to the scenery of that
wonderful region ; wonderful no less in these, than in its
mineral riches. Some of these features I propose to
notice hereafter.
Though the country of the lower lakes lacks so much
of the grand and picturesque of mountain scenery,, it has
never failed to excite the enthusiastic admiration of the
traveller.
No doubt much of the interest which was expressed by
Digitized
by Google
ROMANCE OF EARL V TRA VEL, 7
the first explorers is of that romantic character which
belongs to a region imperfectly known, and which in the
relations of these early voyageurs abounded in marvels.
By them the lake scenery was beheld under circumstances
very different from those which surround the modem
tourist.
The remoteness from the ordinary range of travel ; the
novel mode of conveyance ; the intercourse with Nature
in her secret haunts; the freedom from the thousand
cares of the busy world, which is felt in her qntrimmed
forests and upon her heaving waters, — these, to the un-
accustomed wanderer, are replete with a rapturous de-
light, and invest these scenes with a charm apart from
their intrinsic interest. All this, too, is aided by the
strengthened nerve and vigorous health which are engen-
dered by constant exercise and exposure to pure air.
No wonder that the early voyageurs in this region were
thus inspired, and often dwelt with enthusiasm even on
ordinary scenes.
They stepped into the light canoe and were afloat upon
a tide, to the sight boundless as the ocean, but fresh, pure
and transparent as ether. They made their way under a
variety of incidents; with difficulty escaped the rising
gale, and at night encamped upon the beach, where the
breaking surf lulled them to sleep ; or they sought shel-
ter in the tall forest, and listened to the roar of the night
wind in the pine tops.
Day after day, month after month, they continued to
traverse the shores, without finding the bounds of these
vast fresh-water seas. At one time the shores presented
only a dark mass of evergreens, where the tangled cedar
spread its innumerable boughs, and the fir shot up its
straight, sharp cone. At another, the sight pierced
Digitized
by Google
g SCENERY OF THE LAKES,
through vistas of openings, disclosing beyond inviting
prospects. Again, huge walls of rock reared a threaten-
ing front, caverns yawned beneath, and lofty hills, rock-
ribbed, rose beyond. They picked up on. the shores
many curious minerals, precious stones, polished by the
waves, beautiful agates, and metallic ores, among which
were large pieces of native copper. They found that the
savages regarded some of these things with reverence,
and eager curiosity pictured a world of hidden wonders.
It was my fortune to traverse these great inland seas in
almost the precise manner of those first explorers, and to
drink at the same sources of inspiration. Even now,
when a few days may suffice to convey the traveller from
one end to the other, seeing little of that which is most
worthy his observation, so little change have time and
the advance of a vigorous race wrought in the features of
many parts of the coast scenery, that were the modern
tourist to visit these in the only mode possible for obtain-
ing a correct conception, — a coasting voyage in a small
boat, — he would find little occasion to reverse those early
impressions. He would be- surrounded by almost the
same solitude and wildness.
There is a sublimity about these vast fresh-water seas
which is hardly exceeded by the ocean itself. Lake
Superior is 400 miles long, and covers an area of 30,000
square miles. Standing on its shore the eye can em-
brace not a thousandth part of its surface ; yet to the
view this small part is a boundless horizon, united only
to the sky.
The water of this lake and of those immediately below
is of amazing purity and transparency. This is attrib-
utable to their rocky beds and the nature of the border-
ing country, from which so little impurity finds its way.
Digitized
by Google
LAKE SUPERIOR, g
" The water,** writes one of the early journalizers, " was
as pure and transparent as air, and my canoe seemed as
if it hung suspended in that element. It was impossible
to look attentively through this limpid medium at the
rocks below without finding, before many minutes, your
head swim, and your eyes no longer able to behold the
dazzling scene/*
From the great extent of surface exposed to so many
conflicting winds, the waters in these great basins are
seldom quiet. This is especially the case with Lake
Superior, which may be styled — par excellence — "the
ocean lake/*
For some time previous to a gale, even when no wind
is perceptible, I have seen its surface agitated by tremen-
dous swells, and the waves ** heave their sharp, white
helmets ** on the dark surface. At times, when calm and
glassy, a long, dark line may be observed advancing rap-
idly, and of a sudden the wind begins to freshen, and
finally to blow with vehemence. It is the coming on of
the tempest. The dark line is the vanguard of an army
of waves, which soon swell into enormous billows and
hiss with gathered foam. Owing to the suddenness with
which these storms arise, the navigation for canoes and
boats is rendered peculiarly hazardous.
The effect of the frequent storms and the almost con-
stant agitation of the water is very observable upon the
coast. Where this consists of rock, as is the general case,
particularly if it be sandstone, an abrading process is
going on, which occasions huge, cavernous fissures, ex-
tending to a height often of many feet above the water
level, rounded columns, supporting battlements of rock,
and a thousand fantastic forms.
We regard rock as the basis of what we are adcus-
Digitized
by Google
lO SCENERY OF THE LAKES.
tomed to designate as the "everlasting hills/* but the
power of the liquid element is so gradually extending its
dominion, that these so-called " sure foundations *' pre-
sent but a feeble obstacle to its violence. It is only in
the resistance offered by the proverbially "shifting**
aands that an enduring barrier is found to the fury of
the storms.
Many miles of the southern shore, near the eastern end
of the lake, consist of broad sand beaches, and the phe-
nomena of the sea, as I have there witnessed them, are
sublime beyond description. Far abroad the white-caps
are seen enlivening the dark blue surface ; but as the gale
sweeps over the broad expanse, and piles the waters up
on the opposing shore, the power of the sea, compressed
by the shallow spape allowed it, raises huge columns of
breakers, which tuipble impetuously toward the beach.
The line of gathering waves is seen far out, increasing
into one long, uplifjted billow, that passes majestically on,
each moment raisirig higher its threatening crest, until, no
longer able to sustain the accumulated weight, its mar-
gin bends smoothly forward, as if rushing over a preci-
pice, then comes thundering down in a tremendous sheet
of foam and flying spray, tearing up the sands with a
roar that seems to shake the coast. Broken in its majes-
tic march, it now spreads into lesser breakers, and sweeps,
foaming, high up the beach. Between the successive
ridges the liquid element seems to be drawn away, recoil-
ing from the shoaling sands, and adding height and vio-
lence to the accumulating mass. The surf from these
breakers is thrown to a great distance up the beach, de-
positing its suspended sand, and then as instantly re-
cedes, to await the next succeeding lash. It is these
breaking surges, with their surf and smothering spray,
Digitized
by Google
THE OCEAN LAKE, I \
that are so dangerous to stranded vessels, and that often
overwhelm boats in their landing which had outlived,
until that moment, the whole violence of the storm.
The sublimity of this scene is enhanced by the con-
tinued roar that accompanies it. This is not alone the
dash of the waters, however loud. Distinct from the
rush of waves and howling of the wind is a deep, Bass
undertone, — the lowest conceivable note in the music of
nature, — distinct, incessant, prolonged, filling up every
pause in the awful harmony. The first resembles the
roar of the wind in the storm-tossed forest ; the dread
lower tone is like that which is heard at Niagara, and
seems to be produced by a similar cause, the concussion
of falling waters.
If, as poets tell us, nature is full of melodies, through
all her works are hidden cords that vibrate to the music
of the spheres, — strange, deep harmonies that haunt the
breast of the woodland ; the wind's low sigh ; the voice
which gushes forth " in concord of sweet sounds '* from
animated nature : if there is music in the rippling wave
and the dashing surge, and even the voiceless sands and
dropping caves fill the soul with its eloquence, how
more sublime a melody in the deep bass of the tempest,
and the rush of the thousand battalions of its army of
resistless waters !
The natural beauty of "the Detroit,** as the "straits
of Erie and Huron " were named by the Jesuit mission-
aries,— the first white men that set foot in this region, —
had been recorded with many words of admiration, long
before the day of its colonization. No hills bounded the
vision. In many places even the shores spread into wide
marshes. But all was on a scale of magnificence to
which they were unaccustomed. The banks were densely
Digitized
by Google
12 SCENERY OF THE LAKES,
clothed with fresh timber, such as dwarfed all that the
Old World afforded. The straits — though its strong cur-
rent might claim for it the name of Hver — varied in
width from one to five miles, and was adorned with many-
green islands, of which the largest was twelve miles in
length. Beasts and birds of rare and curious aspect were
numerous and tame. Fish of novel kinds and unequalled
flavor sported in the waters. Fruits of many sorts and
in unexampled abundance grew within sight and reach.
Everywhere Nature had spread a feast for all her chil-
dren, such as she grants only to the most fortunate.
After the first white settlements had been established,
and before Christian nations had contended here for em-
pire, the country was not greatly changed. A half cent-
ury of French occupation had not felled the wide-spread-
ing forests, which remained untouched, except upon the
immediate border of the stream. But here the colonists
had strung together their hamlets, almost in a continuous
village, for many miles, with their little fields and pick-
eted gardens, their orchards and windmills. The single
street followed all the windings of the shore, avoiding
only the marshes, and usurping the well-chosen sites of
the Indian villages. From a central position Fort Pon-
chartrain frowned its rude protection.
The quiet, Arcadian character of the settlements upon
the Detroit had been but little affected by political
changes and transfers of sovereignty, even so late as
when it became the home of the writer, in 1835. Let me
describe the river scenery as it then appeared.
Although Detroit had grown from a mere stockade
into a modernized and thriving town, and an energetic
class of emigrants had begun to penetrate the interior,
the rural character of these straits had undergone but
Digitized
by Google
THE STRAITS, 1 3
little change. The main roads still ran along the banks,
lined with the same kind of habitations, in most cases the
very same, that were built there more than a century be-
fore. Their possessors were still mainly French, though
a few farms had changed ownership, and a somewhat
larger extent of fields and meadows had infringed upon
the ancient forest.
On the British side of the channel, tasteful English cot-
tages, with green verandas, intermingled with the brown
domiciles of the French Canadian, and gave additional
charm to its rural character.
The view from the water front of my homestead of
half a century ago — known as " Windmill Point *' — was
both beautiful and animating. The noble stream, which
has pursued a nearly westerly course from the Lake Ste.
Claire, here bends southerly, and is contracted to three-
fourths of a mile in width. Owing to the change in the
trend of the shore, this point commands a very extended
view, of which my frontispiece will give some idea.
Looking eastward is seen forest-crowned Isle au Cochon
(since endowed with the more euphonious name of Belle
Isle) two miles above the city, and occupying the centre
of the stream.' The view embraces bot«h channels. On
the south side, the main channel carries the vision onward
to the horizon of Lake Ste. Claire, and to Peach Island,
the once stronghold of Pontiac. Fronting the northerly
channel, lower down, are conspicuous the brick walls and
glittering spires of the "City of the Straits.**
Following along down stream we discover, on the im-
mediate shore, posts and reels, indicating a fishery, white-
fish being at that time largely taken in our river.
Turning the eye down the stream, the widening chan-
nel, visible for nearly twenty miles, terminates in the
Digitized by
Google
14 SCENERY OF THE LAKES,
passage between Grosse Isle and the main land on the
west, the easterly channel and Lake Erie being shut
from view by a wooded point on the Canada shore. The
stream, broadened to five miles in width, gives to view
Fighting Island, the scene of a savage massacre in the
old war times, and many small grassy isles, marked by
lighthouses and the huts of fishermen.
The view across the water embraces her Majesty's do-
minion for a continuous coast-line of thirty miles. The
spruce town of Windsor is seen opposite its larger Amer-
ican rival, and contrasts strikingly with the gray and
sleepy old village of Sandwich, a few miles lower down.
The banks on both sides of this narrowed portion of
the strait are bold, and present, in many places, steep cliffs
of twenty to thirty feet elevation.
Between these two villages stands the old Huron
Church, a monument of the olden times of French su-
premacy, and a building of considerable size and archi-
tectural pretension for those days.* Its decaying walls
are propped by poles, and on the open area in front is
planted a high wooden cross. It carries the mental view
backward to those halcyon days of simplicity and half
feudal domination, when the lord of the demesne re-
quired a May-pole to be planted annually before his
door i when the practical had not banished the poetical ;
and when religious ceremonies constituted one of the
chief pleasures of the people.
Among the farm-houses and cottages which line the
banks, those of the times of the French regime still pre-
dominate. From embowering orchards, immense pear
* In these days of unrespect, this church has been torn down, and has
given place to a brick, gothic cathedral, with an episcopal palace, and the
college buildings of St. Benedict,
Digitized
by Google
DETROIT RIVER SCENERY,
15
trees rear their heads, like great elms, or stand in groups
upon the banks. Several windmills give animation to
the picture, as their white arms sway in the breeze,
that seldom fails to ripple these waters, like the pinions
of some huge birds.
One of those picturesque structures — the only one in
sight on the American side — occupies a low, sandy point
in our front, and is a conspicuous object in the foreground
of my picture. It is built of timber, the lower story
being filled in and encased with stone. Though the best
of all the structures of its kind upon the river, it lays no
claim to having been the manor windmill, to which, in
the earlier days, the settler was required to carry his
grist.*
The recently created and already immense commerce
of the lakes has brought into being many lines of steam
and sailing vessels, which ply daily through the Straits.
Sometimes a crowd of the latter meet at the turn of
the river, a little below, awaiting a change of wind ; and
it is a spectacle most beautiful and inspiriting, when all
at once, their wings spread to the favoring breeze, they
glide past, a magnificent group, on their way to the
neighboring port.
Gulls glancing to and fro, with their long emulous
wings, give additional life to the scene ; while in a higher
zone, flocks of wild ducks and geese are winging their
way up, their undeviating, swift and steady flight casting
contempt upon those duller-winged sailor craft so far be-
neath.f
♦These mills have long since been disused, and all have now (1885) dis-
appeared.
t It is one of the singular mutabilities of civilized progress, that the noble
class of passenger steamers — equal in all appointments to the finest now on
Digitized
by Google
1 6 SCENERY OF THE LAKES.
While the vernal beauty of this region of wide waters
and boundless forests is so often dwelt upon, it does not
appear that the impression of tameness or defect is pro-
duced by the absence of mountain and rock, and the
general level which everywhere meets the eye.
There is a grandeur in Alpine scenery which is elevat-
ing to the soul, but this also has its own claim to sub-
limity. All the parts which compose it are congruous.
Land and water are in harmony. These lakes, like the
ocean, give the impress of boundlessness, and lake, forest,
and prairie unite to form
" a fitting floor
For this magnificent temple of the sky,"
Nor is variety wanting. The watery surface is never
still and tame. Now tossed at the sport of the wind,
now sombre beneath the shadows of passing clouds, now
brightening in the sun, and now sleeping with an infant's
calmness, it has at all times a charm which belongs not to
the ** dull, tame shore."
There is a human interest, too, in the white sails, far or
near, whether scudding before the gale with bellying
canvas, and dashing the white foam from the prow, or
slow-moving with full-spread wings before the gentler
breeze, which always enchains the eye and betokens
man's empire over nature.
In the broad features of the land, also, there is an har-
monious charm. If there are no hills to lift us to the
clouds there are none to limit our horizon ; to shut out
the sweet sun at its rising and its setting ; to obscure any
the ocean — which plied between Detroit and Buffalo a half century ago,
should have disappeared. The picturesque groups of sailing craft, also,
have given place to prosaic lines of hulls under bare poles, towed by tugs.
Digitized
by Google
06
O
X
H
D
<
X
H
d.
O
U
M
Q
O
X
17
Digitized
by Google
1 8 SCENER Y OF THE LAKES.
of the lesser lights of heaven, or the glories of cloud-land
and of sunset, or to interrupt the imagination, when her
** magical pinions spread wide*' over, a domain that
from its very uniformity seems the more limitless.
" The great heaven
Seems to stoop down upon the scene in love, —
A nearer vault and of a tenderer blue,
Than that which bends above the eastern hills." *
♦ '' The Prairie."— Bryant.
Digitized by CjOOQIC .
LAKE SUPERIOR IN 1840.
Digitized
by Google
** Father of lakes! " thy waters bend
Beyond the eagle's utmost view,
When, throned in heaven, he sees thee send
Back to the sky its world of blue.
Boundless and deep, the forests weave
Their twilight shade thy borders o*er,
And threatening- cliffs, like giants, heave
Their rugged forms along thy shore.'*
Saml. G. Goodrich.
Digitized
by Google
LAKE SUPERIOR IN i840»
AMONG the pleasantest of all my reminiscences of
travel is that of the exploration, in connection with
the geological survey of Michigan, of the coasts of
our upper peninsula, in 1 840.
The party for this expedition was composed of the
State geologist. Dr. Douglass Houghton ; his two assist-
ants, C. C. Douglass and myself; Fredk. Hubbard, in
charge of instrumental observations; and, for a part of
the way, H. Thielson, a civil engineer, and Charles W.
Penny, a young merchant of Detroit, supernumeraries.
We left Detroit in the steamer " Illinois," arriving at
Mackinac, May 23. Here two boat crews were made
up, consisting of six Canadians. These belonged to that
class so famous in the palmy days of the fur trade and
the French regime, now extinct, and known to history
as ^^ coureurs de bois'' They were of mixed blood, in
some, the French, in others, the Indian, predominating.
Bred to the business, they would row without fatigue
from daybreak until dark, — twelve or fourteen hours^ —
unlade the boats, pitch the tents for the bourgeois, pile
up the baggage, prepare the evening meal, and then
creep under their blankets in the open air and enjoy
the sound sleep that labor bestows.
The principal dependence of these voyageurs for food
— we had no leisure for hunting and little for fishing —
* Read before the Detroit Pioneer Society, Jan., 1874.
21
Digitized
by Google
22 LAKE SUPERIOR IN 1840.
was upon a soup of beans, with a most liberal supply of
water, into which a piece of pork was dropped. A cake
of hard-bread was allowed to each.
The boats for the passage of the Sault were each
about twenty feet long by four broad, lightly constructed
of pine and cedar, with sharp bows, and were drawn out
of the water at night. At the Sault, to which provis-
ions had been forwarded, one of these boats was ex-
changed for a " Mackinac barge,'* sufficiently large to
carry two months* provisions and all our baggage.
A voyage to and upon our great lake at the time of
my story was by no means the easy journey it is now.
North of Mackinac, no steamers and no regular line of
sail-vessels traversed the waters. The ship-canal around
the waters of the Sault had not then been projected.
Furs and fish constituted the only commerce, and the
latter found too few customers to make the trade profit-
able. The American Fur Company had its headquarters
at Sault Ste. Marie, where was a village of some twenty
or thirty houses, mostly of logs, and the United States
maintained a garrison. Gn the opposite shore was a
small English settlement, consisting of a few white-
washed cabins and Episcopal and Baptist mission estab-
lishments. Here also the Hudson's Bay Company had
a post.
At L'Anse had been established for many years a
factory of the American Fur Company, the only build-
ings being a log house, storehouse, and barn, and near
by a Baptist mission, consisting of a dozen neat huts of
logs and bark. Near the extreme west end of the lake
this company had another factory or trading-post, at
La Pointe.
These were the only white settlements on the south
Digitized
by Google
THE ROUTE— MACKINAC.
23
shore of this great lake. At two or three points, tran-
sient fishing-camps might be met with. Else, all this
region was wild and solitary almost as when, a century-
earlier, it was traversed by the canoe of the Jesuit mis-
sionary or echoed to the rude songs of the wild employ-
ees of the fur traders. In a large part of the country, on
the southern border, within the territory of the United
States, the Indian title had not been extinguished.
But the settlements of the aboriginal race were rare;
probably the whole region did not number 1000 souls.
Apart from the scientific animus of the expedition,
our party, in the ardor of youth, could not but look for-
ward to the new and strange scenes which awaited us
with somewhat of the enthusiasm that inspired the first
explorers of this region of vast forests and inland seas.
We were to voyage almost in the same mode as those
travellers, to witness scenes as yet little changed, and
partaking of the same character of solitude and mystery.
Though I wander from my narrative, I must linger a
moment over the impression produced by the romantic
island which was our starting-point, Michilimackinac.
Connected with the story of the early wanderings of
the French, their perilous missions in the far wilderness,
the fur trade, with its fort, its agents, its coureurs de
bois and numerous employees, its bustle, show, and dis-
sipation, its traffic and its enormous profits, and with the
numerous native tribes which here rendezvoused, — no
place in the North-west possesses greater historic and
traditionary interest. The town retained, as it still does,
much of its old-time character. The crescent bay in
front was still a lounging-place for the American Ishma-
elite, whose huts often covered the beach ; and this was
the last place on the frontier where the Mackinac barge
Digitized
by Google
24 LAKE SUPERIOR IN 1840.
might be manned and equipped, as a century ago, by a
motley crew of half-breed voyageurs.
The natural beauties and wildness of the island, its
situation, enthroned at the apex of the peninsula of
Michigan and embracing magnificent views of water and
island, its lake breezes and pure cold air, and the excel-
lence of its white-fish and trout, have long made it one
of the most attractive of watering-places. The proposal
to conserve it as a national park is worthy of its char-
acter, and it is to be hoped that thus its natural beauties,
and what remains of its woods, will be preserved forever
to the nation.
On the morning of May 26 we took our departure
from Mackinac, with a moderate breeze and a clear sky,
— a thing to be noted where fogs are so frequent, — and
coasting by St. Martin's Island, entered les Cheneaux.
The river, or more properly Strait of Ste. Marie, is a
series of channels, winding amid innumerable islands.
Some of these, as St. Joseph and Drummond, cover
many square mifes, but the greater number are much
smaller, and often occupy only a few acres. They line
the whole northern coast of Lake Huron, and are oc-
casioned by the junction between the silurian lime rocks
and the azoic or primary rocks of Canada.
These islands are but little elevated above the water,
and are wooded to the edge with cedar, fir and birch.
The evergreen trees are completely shrouded in a tapes-
try of parasitic moss. This is a true lichen, and is not
allied to the great Southern epiphyte which it so strongly
resembles. It hangs in long festoons, giving the woods
a fantastic and gloomy appearance, but the effect is
very beautiful. What are called "les Cheneaux** are
passages among islands of this description. They are
Digitized
by Google
1^
STRAITS OF STE, MARIE.
25
seldom wide enough to admit any but the smallest craft,
and so intricate as to form a perfect labyrinth, where
any but the practised mariner might wander long, ** in
endless mazes lost."
To the north and east of St. Joseph Island the Ste.
Marie parts the two systems of rocks, and an instant
change takes place in the character of the scenery.
Instead of low, timbered shores, the islands rise in abrupt
cones, rounded and water-worn, to the height of twenty
to one hundred feet, presenting bare knobs of hornblende
and quartz. The surfaces are worn smooth, by the ac-
tion of glaciers, and are frequently covered with a thick
carpet of lichens. Among these is, in profusion, the
beautiful reindeer moss. A few miles to the right, in
Canada, hills of granite rise to a height of 500 to 1000
feet, and form a background to the view.
To the geologist these low hills and rounded knobs
have an absorbing interest. Agassiz tells us that Amer-
ica has been falsely denominated the new world ; that
" hers was the first dry land lifted out of the waters ;
hers the first shore washed by the ocean that enveloped
all the earth beside." The antiquary finds in this por-
tion of America a very respectable antiquity. To its
known civil history he adds evidence of the existence of
a race of men familiair with this region ages before its
discovery by the French, who were by no means despic-
able cultivators of the arts, and he infers a human his-
tory— could he but gather the full record — possibly as
ancient as the pyramids. But science points to a period
infinitely more remote. We had reached and stood
upon what was the skeleton of our earth, when but a
crust above the seething fires beneath, not only ages
before man had a being upon its surface, but probably
y
Digitized
by Google
26 LAKE SUPERIOR IN 1840.
ages before what we call the ** Old World " had Been
raised by the forces of nature above the universal ocean.
Here was antiquity unmeasured by any human standard.
Time itself was young then. This backbone of the ear-
liest continent still stretches unbroken, from the Atlan-
tic to the western plains. During the unnumbered
years in which the surface of the earth has been changed
by successive upheavals and depressions it has stood
unmoved.
Around the base of these low granite and metamor-
phic hills, in the bed of the river, lies a sandstone rock,
which we shall find rising into cliffs along the coast of
the lake above. It is the lowest of the paleozoic
series, the first rock which brings to our eyes evidence
of life upon this continent, and, if geologists speak truth,
the first which bears witness to the dawn of life upon
our earth. Of the earliest forms of organic life two
only have with certainty been found in this rock, the
lingula and the trilobite. And these, in the perfection
and adaptation of their structure, equal the most perfect
beings of their kind which exist at the present day.
Thus the first record of the earliest life, upon the most
ancient sea beach which the earth affords, is in apparent
condemnation of the development hypothesis of Darwin.
Are they then evidence of sudden and independent crea-
tion, or must we believe that these forms had their origin
in some yet more remote and obscure past, and that
we behold in these silurian rocks only their perfect
development ?
Following the northerly channel, the Ste. Marie soon
expands into a broad and lovely sheet of water, twelve
miles long, called Lake St. George. We have escaped
from the labyrinth of rocky isles, the southern shores
Digitized
by Google
STRAITS OF STE. MARIE.
27
are again densely wooded, while the azoic rocks are seen
on the Canada side, stretching ofiF to the north-west, and
terminating in a series of mountainous knobs, — the ver-
tebrae of the world before the Flood. To this lake the
Narrows succeed, and here for the first time the Ste.
Marie assumes the appearance of a river, being con-
tracted to less than 1000 feet, with a current and occa-
sional rapids.
We passed frequent memorials of the Indian inhab-
itants. It is not to be wondered at that this region
abounds with them, since with an eye to natural beauty
this poetical race selects the loveliest spots for the rest-
ing-places, both of the living and the dead. The graves
were close cabins of logs, thatched with bark, and the
places selected are among the most beautiful and ele-
vated sites, as if the souls of the departed braves could
hear the echoing paddle and watch the approach of the
distant canoe. The burial-place of the chief is desig-
nated by a picketed enclosure, and here it is customary
for the voyaging Indian to stop, kindle his camp-fire at
the head of the grave, and, on departing, to leave within
the enclosure a small portion of the provisions he has
cooked, for the use of the occupant. A flat cedar stake
at the head exhibits in red paint the figure of some
bird or brute, — the family totem of the deceased. Often
is seen a small cross, erected as an emblem of his faith
in Holy Catholic Church, while close by, in strange con-
trast, is that evidence of his unalterable attachment to
the creed of his fathers, — the basket of provisions that
is to support his journeying to the land of spirits.
The camping-ground of the voyageur has been that
of the Indian from time immemorial. The wigwam
poles are recognized from a distance, in some open glade
Digitized
by Google
28 LAKE SUPERIOR IN 1840.
along the shore, left standing after the vagabond in-
mates have departed. And there is often to be found
an old canoe, a camp-kettle, a cradle swinging from the
poles, and invariably a litter of picked bones and dirty
rags, completely covering the spot, with the burnt
brands and ashes of the cabin fire in the midst. Some-
times we meet a rude altar of stones, on which are laid
bits of tobacco and other petty offerings to the Manitou.
Sometimes the scene is varied by the cabin of a Cana-
dian Frenchman, who, unable to resist the charm of
savage life, is bringing up his family of half-breed chil-
dren in a condition little akin to civilization.
Early on the morning of May 30 we reached the
Sault, and proceeded to encamp at the head of the rapids.
This required a portage of several rods. The remainder
of the day was spent at the village, in witnessing the novel
mode of fishing, and other sights pertaining to this re-
mote frontier post.
Preparations for our lake expedition being completed,
on the first of June we took our departure from the head
of the rapids. Here lay at anchor a beautiful light brig
belonging to the American Fur Company, and which
bore the name of its founder, John Jacob Astor. Close
by its side was a schooner, which had been built by the
Ohio Fishing and Mining Company, at Cleveland, and
had just made the portage around the rapids. Another
vessel was preparing for a similar transportation. With
three such crafts floating on its bosom, our great lake
seemed to have already lost something of its old-time
character, when, a wide waste of waters, it was traversed
onlyby the canoe of the Indian and voyageur. Its im-
portance as a great commercial highway had thus begun
Digitized
by Google "^""^
(4
oi
O
X
<
<
<
u
u
X
H
:s
o
u
h
29
Digitized
by Google
30 LAKE SUPERIOR IN 1840.
to be foreshadowed, but, in fact, its waters still laved a
savage wilderness.*
Some natural phenomena pertaining to a high north-
ern latitude had begun to exhibit what were marvels to
our unaccustomed eyes. One of these was the length-
ened twilight, the sun continuing to irradiate the horizon
with a bright flash, until nearly midnight. In fact, it was
quite possible to tell the hour of the night at any time,
by the light which indicated the sun's position. The
Auroras, too, were surpassingly brilliant ; often the elec-
tric rays streamed up from every point of the horizon,
meeting at the .zenith and waving like flame. I note
these simple and common phenomena because they were
novel to us, and it is only those who travel and encamp
in the open air who enjoy to the full such scenes of
beauty and wonder.
A summer temperature had now set in, and we
witnessed another characteristic of this high latitude, —
the sudden advance of the season. During the three
days of our stay at this place, vegetation, which a week
before had hardly commenced, sprung into active life.
Trees then bare were now in full leaf. This phenomenon,
though common to our side of the Atlantic, we had no-
where else seen so conspicuously displayed.
Time will not permit a narrative of our journey, a two-
months' coasting voyage along the whole southern side
of Lake Superior. Nor can I speak, except briefly, of
the beauties of the scenery, most of which is now so well
* The immense commerce since built up will appear from the statement,
that in 1886 the number of vessels which passed through the Ste. Mary's
Falls Canal was 6203, carrying 3,701,000 tons and over 50,000 passengers.
Digitized by CjOOQIC V
COASTWG. 3 1
known ; of* Gros Cap and Point Iroquois, those rock-
built pillars of Hercules that. guard the entrance, and
" like giants stand.
To sentinel enchanted land ; "
of White-fish Point and its surroundings ; of the grand,
wild and varied rocky coast ; of the many beautiful
streams, flashing with cascades, and filled with the
speckled trout ; or of our scientific researches and ob-
servations. I will venture only to relate an occasional in-
cident, and to delineate some features of the coast scenery
which seem to me to have been too little noticed or too
imperfectly described by others.
Westward from White-fish Point stretch for many miles
broad beaches of sand and gravel, backed by hills clothed
with Norway-pines, spruce, hemlock, cedar, and birch.
These beaches form extensive fishing-grounds, of which
parties had already availed themselves. Every one
knows the superiority of Lake Superior white-fish, in size
and flavor, pver those of the lower waters. Yet in relat-
ing the following experience I am aware of the risk
which I run of being set down as the retailer of a '* fish
story/*
As we were rowing along the beach, some object was
descried at a distance, making out of the water. All, at
once, gave vigorous chase. On our near approach, the
animal, which proved to be an otter, dropped upon the
sand a fish which he had just hauled out, and retreated
into the lake. This fish, which was scarcely dead, was of
a size so extraordinary that it might truly be called — the
fish, not the story — a whopper ! It measured two and a
half feet in length, and one foot five inches in circumfer-
ence. We had no accurate means of weighing, but its
Digitized
by Google
32 LAKE SUPERIOR IN 1840.
weight was fairly estimated at fifteen pounds ! * The flesh
was delicious in proportion, and made our whole party
several capital meals.
These beaches terminate at a deep harbor called the
Grand Marais. Hitherto the hills or dunes of sand have
been of no great elevation. But now occurs a phenom-
enon which, though it seems not to have been classed
among the wonders of this region, nor described in any
books of travel, so far as I am aware, may well be called
extraordinary, and worthy a place among the scenic won-
ders of America. It is a miniature Sahara, several miles
in extent, and in many of its peculiar features resembling
those lifeless, sandy deserts which are so distinguishing
phenomena in some parts of the world. It is known to
the French voyageurs as " Le Grand Sable'-
Steep cliffs are first observed rising from the water
with a very uniform face, of about 200 feet in height,
beyond which are visible barren dunes, rising still higher
in the distance. On our approach the whole appeared
like lofty hills enveloped in fog. This proved to be noth-
ing less than clouds of sand, which the winds were con-
stantly sweeping towards the lake, and which formed a
mist so dense as to conceal completely the real character
of the coast.
On ascending these steep and wasting cliffs, a scene
opens to view which has no parallel except in the great
deserts. For an extent of many miles nothing is visible
but a waste of sand ; not under the form of a monotonous
plain, but rising into lofty cones, sweeping in graceful
curves, hurled into hollows and spread into long-extended
valleys. A few grass roots and small shrubs in some
places find a feeble subsistence, and are the only vegeta-
tion. But thrusting through the sand are several tops
Digitized
by Google
\
i \
hi
Digitized
by Google
34 LAKE SUPERIOR IN 1840.
of half-buried pines, barkless, and worn dry and craggy
by the drifting soil, while below the surface their bodies
appear to be in perfect preservation. To our imagina-
tion they seem the time-worn columns of an antique
temple, whose main structure has long ago tumbled into
dust, or been buried, like the ruins of Egypt, beneath
the drift of many centuries.
The surface sand is mostly packed quite hard, and may
be trod as a solid floor. TJiis, in many places, is strewed
thickly with pebbles ; the deep hollows present vast
beds of them. Among tjiese are a great variety of pre-
cious stones common to the rocks of the country ; agates,
chalcedony, jasper, quartz of every shade of color and
transparency, with hornstone, trap, and other minerals.
All are worn smooth, and often beautifully polished by
the sharp, drifting sands, and many rich specimens were
obtained. We were reminded of the valley of diamonds
in the Arabian tales, which it was the fortune of Sinbad
to discover, in a scarcely less singular depository.
In the rear of this desert, about two miles from the
coast, timber is again met with. Here, just at the edge
of the wood, a small and beautiful lake lies embosomed ;
on the one side, a rich tract of maple forest; on the other,
barren and shifting sand. It broke on our view, from
amidst the realm of desolation, as did the unexpected
fountain to which Saladin led the weary cavalier, Sir
Kenneth, over the sandy plains of Palestine, as told in
the magic pages of Scott. We named it, not inaptly, I
think, " the diamond of the desert." Around this sheet
of water we found snow, on the tenth of June, in large
quantities, buried beneath a few inches of sand.
From the diamond lake issues a small stream, which,
after making its way through the sand, reaches the clay
Digitized
by Google
35
Digitized by
Google
36 LAKE SUPERIOR IN 1840.
that constitutes the base of these dunes, and tumbles a
perfect cascade into the greater lake. This rivulet sepa-
rates the dense maple forest which lies on the east from
cliffs of driven sand, which rise abruptly to a height that
far overlooks the woodland, and are the commencement
of the grand and leafless sables.
The view on ascending these is most entrancing. On
the one side stretches beneath, and far away, the verdant
forest ; while, by a transition as sudden as it is opposite
in character, on the other side every feature of the land-
scape seems as if buried beneath hills of snow. The
desert surface might be Hkened to that of an angry ocean,
only that the undulations are far more vast, and the wave
crests more lofty than the billows of the sea in its wildest
commotion. Looking upward from one of these im-
mense basins, where only the sand-wave meets the sky,
the beholder is impressed with a sublimity of a novel
kind, unmixed with the terror which attends a storm
upon the Alps or on the ocean. The scene, wild and
unique, may well claim this brief praise, though hitherto
unsung, and lacking the charm of historical association,
— '* the consecration and the poet's dream.**
Twelve miles beyond this singular region the beaches
terminate, and the sand-rock makes its appearance on the
coast, in a range of abrupt cliffs. These are ** The Pict-
ured Rocks." They have been often described, but no
description that I have seen conveys to my mind a satis-
factory impression of their bold, wild, and curious fut-
ures. In attempting to convey some clear comprehen-
sion of them, I can only hope to impart a faithful,
though it be a feeble conception of the peculiar features
of this marvel of the Northern Lakes.
These cliffs are composed of the same gray-and-red
Digitized
by Google
<
37
Digitized
by Google
jg LAKE SUPERIOR IN 1840.
sand-rock which I have alluded to as the lowest of the
paleozoic or silurian rocks. It appears in many places on
the coast, and probably forms a large part of the bed of
the lake. The cliffs here rise into a mural precipice,
springing perpendicularly from the deep waters to the
height of from 80 to 250 feet ; and for the distance of
fifteen miles, except in one or two places, are destitute
of a beach upon which even a canoe may be landed. So
dangerous is the coast that vessels all give it a wide
berth, passing at too great distance for accurate view.
A small boat that lingers runs imminent risk, from the
liability of this lake to sudden gales, and the traverse is
attempted only during a perfect calm. The sand-rock
lies in thick strata of varying degrees of hardness, from a
coarse crag of the hardest cemented pebbles to a friable
rock of aggregated sand. The predominant color is gray,
sometimes light, often dark and rusty, and stained by
oxides of iron and copper, with which the materials are
charged. Bearing in mind these characteristics, the va-
riety of aspects and the strange forms that these cliffs as-
sume will find a ready explanation.
The great diversity of hues that give so beautiful and
variegated an appearance to large portions of the sur-
face, and from which the cliffs derive their name, are
owing to the metallic oxides which have filtered through
the porous stone in watery solutions and left their stains
upon the surface. Beautiful as is the effect, it is due to
candor to say that to my eyes there appeared but very
imperfect representations of those various forms in the
vegetable and animal kingdoms which figure in some
highly-colored and fanciful descriptions in travellers*
tales. Too extravagant an idea could scarcely be con-
veyed of the exceeding brilliancy of the coloring; but in
Digitized
by Google
THE PICTURED ROCKS. y^
regard to what artists style the ** laying on," the picture
presented a much closer resemblance to a house-painter's
bucket, upon the outside of which paints of all colors
have trickled down in tapering streams. They represent
not so much the picture which Nature has painted, as the
palette upon which she has cleaned her pencils. Every
hue of the rainbow, besides black and white, and in
every possible circumstance of shade and alternation, are
drawn in long lines^ covering thousands of feet of surface.
Near the western extremity of the range, these colors
assume a surpassing brilliancy, with a metallic lustre.
Streaming over a gracefully curved surface, having an
area of several thousand yards, they mimic, on a gigantic
scale, the stripes on our national flag, as it waves in the
breeze ; or, passing down a fractured ledge, are contorted
into long zigzag lines.
Upon close examination, these colors are found to
proceed from slimy exudations, and to retain their brill-
iance only while fresh. When the face of the cliff has
become dry, they possess a more faint and often mottled
appearance. Then may sometimes be found depicted,
upon a background of white, yellow or dun, as if rudely
dabbed in by the artist, those vague similitudes, in
which the imagination may realize verdant landscapes or
fierce battle scenes ; perhaps, if sufficiently vivid, a full
set of Raphael's Cartoons. As a whole, the general ef-
fect of the coloring is so striking, that the appellation
conferred upon these cliffs is well deserved. Thus
strangely drawn, upon as strange a canvas, they add,
at least, wonderful beauty and effect to the greater won-
ders which Nature has here displayed.
But color is far from being the most notable feature
of the Pictured Rocks. The disintegrating material of
Digitized
by Google
40
LAKE SUPERIOR IN 1840.
which the rock is composed renders it very susceptible
to the effects of the elements. These cliffs present indu-
bitable evidence that the lake once washed them at a
height many feet above its present level. And as the
strata are of differing degrees of hardness, they have
been worn by the waves into a variety of forms. Huge
cavernous fissures penetrate the massive wall, often to
the distance of several hundred feet, piercing through
its great projecting buttresses, and. leaving the solid
mountain supported by bare pillars. These, in turn,
are worn by the eddying waters into cylindrical columns,
connected by arches that sometimes spring with great
regularity to a vast height.
An immense angular projection of the cliff, known to
voyageurs as *' La Portaille,'* exhibits on its three sides
arches of this construction, one of which springs to a
height of about 150 feet. The openings form passages
into a great cavern, or more properly a vestibule, the
roof of which is beyond the reach of our longest oars,
and which conducts through the entire projecting mass, —
a distance of not less than 500 feet. Entering with our
boat into this natural rock-built hall, its yawning caverns
and overhanging walls strike a sudden awe into the soul.
Echo gives back the voice in loud reverberations, and
the discharge of a musket produces a roar like a clap
of thunder. " Even the slight motion of the waves,"
writes Governor Cass, -* which in the most profound calm
agitates these internal seas, swept through the deep
caverns with a noise of distant thunder, and died upon
the ear, as it rolled forward in the dark recesses inacces-
sible to human observation ; no sound more melancholy
or more awful ever vibrated upon human nerves. Rest-
ing in a frail canoe, upon the limpid waters, we seemed
Digitized
byGoogle-,,^^^ I
n
;l
41
Digitized
by Google
. 2 LAKE SUPERIOR IN 1840.
almost suspended in air, so pellucid is the element upon
which we floated. In gazing upon the towering battle-
ments which impended ov&r us, and from which the
smallest fragment would have destroyed us, we felt, and
felt intensely, our own insignificance. No splendid
cathedral, no temple built with human hands, no pomp
of worship, could ever impress the spectator with such
deep humility, and so strong a conviction of the im-
mense distance between him and the Almighty Archi-
tect."* Enthusiastic language! and yet it cannot be
deemed exaggerated.
The number and perfection of the wave-created pil-
lars meeting the eye at every turn, — and which seem
formed to support the immense weight above, — the vari-
ous forms of the arches and of the overhanging rock,
bear a close resemblance to the orders of human archi-
tecture. The rotundity of the columns is, in general, well
preserved, and their tops swell into capitals. The sup-
ported mass, which is seldom less than 100 feet in thick-
ness, often assumes characteristic forms, corresponding
to the mock design. In one instance, for nearly half a
mile, it resembles a vast entablature, of which the cor-
nice,— ^jutting at least 20 feet, with a curve whose grace
is not excelled by the best sculpture, — the pictured
frieze, the mouldings, metopes, medallions, and other of
those forms which pertain to Grecian architecture, are
struck out, with a master, but giant hand, in munificent
relief, arid with a perfection truly admirable. A portion
of the structure had fallen, and lay at the base in heaps
of ruins. But even the imperfections appear as if due to
the gradual process of ddcay. It requires little stretch
* Discourse before Detroit Historical Society.
Digitized
by Google
43
Digitized
by Google
^ LAKE SUPERIOR IN 1840.
of the imagination to conceive the whole fabric to be
an enormous edifice, the grandest of man's construc-
tion, of which the main body has by some convulsion
been sunk and engulfed in the waters. We thought of
these monuments of ancient art which the volcanic rain
of Vesuvius had overwhelmed ; but such a temple as
this would have enclosed half of Pompeii !
The mind naturally inquires. Are the beautiful forms
of ancient architecture the result of long and laborious
study, or was some marvel like this exhibited in that
distant era, from which cunning sculptors borrowed
those designs that immortalize the Parthenon ? And if
— as the learned have supposed — the marble structures
of that age received the addition of a coat of glowing
colors, — of which time has left some traces, — we here
view the prototype, not only of the graceful forms upon
which they labored so successfully, but of the overlay of
colorings, in the glory of their original freshness !
These are but single features in the scenic display.
The line of cliffs is not uniformly regular, but curves
gradually to the south-west, and presents many angles
and projecting points. Passing on to harder portions of
the rock, the yoyageur may encounter at the next angle
a vertical and unbroken wall, rearing its solid front from
the bed of the lake to the height of from 200 to 300
feet above the surface. The sharpness of the angular
projection equals that created by the square and plum-
met ; while the immense thickness of the strata causes
the wall to appear as laid in immense blocks, a hundred
feet in length. No such blocks were built into their
mausolea by the proudest qf the Pharaohs.
New changes present themselves as the traveller pro-
ceeds. Suddenly he is before the walls of an impregnable
Digitized
by Google
<
u
X
o
45
Digitized
by Google
46 LAKE SUPERIOR IN 1840.
fortress, complete with glacis, bastion, and towers. The
western cape of Miner*s River exhibits a curious display
of this kind. It resembles the dilapidated tower of some
time-worn gothic castle. The base rests upon a series of
short columns, connected by groined arches, through
many of which a boat may pass with ease. There are
eight or ten of these pillars ; several have large en-
trances above, and the tower rears its broken battle-
ments to the height of 120 feet.
Among the characteristic features, none is more extra-
ordinary than one to which the French voyageurs have
appropriately given the name of " La Chapelle.** This
rock was originally part of the solid clifif, of which the
greater portion has been swept away, causing a valley
about half a mile in breadth, through which a considera-
ble stream enters the lake, falling over the rocks in a
sheet of foam. Close by, reared upon the rocky plat-
form, about twenty feet above the lake, and conspicuous
from its isolation, stands the chapel. It consists of a
tabular mass of sandstone, raised upon five columns,
whose capitals swell into a uniform arch and support the
ceiling or dome of the edifice. Its whole height is 56
feet. The pillars are somewhat irregular in form and
position ; in-cluding their bases, they are about 25 feet
in height, and from 4 to 6 feet diameter in the swell.
Regular proportions are not altogether preserved, for in
most of them the central portion has the smallest diam-
eter, like an hour-glass. Two uphold the front, and
from these the arch springs to the height of 30 feet, al-
lowing to the roof a thickness of five or six feet. The
span of this arch is 32 feet, as viewed from the water, in
which direction the spectator looks completely through
the temple into the woodland beyond. The strength
Digitized by
Google
47
Digitized
by Google
48 LAKE SUPERIOR IN 1840.
of the roof thus upheld must be considerable, since it is
clothed with timber, and from the very centre shoots,
spire-like, a lofty pine. The cliff on which the edifice
stands forms a proportionate pedestal, ascending from
the water in steps, which may be easily mounted.
This solemn natural temple might contain a congrega-
tion of several hundred persons. Nor are the usual ac-
commodations for the preacher wanting. A column,
the upper half of which has been broken, projects from
a recess in the walls, and is worn into a curve behind,
like the half of a letter S, creating a stand which would
serve the purpose as admirably as it strikingly resembles
the old-fashioned pulpit, the base of the column afford-
ing convenient steps.
Upon the cliff, just without, a column stands detached,
and worn into the form of an urn, no bad representation
of the baptismal font.
At what epoch of the world, or for what class of wor-
shippers, this almost perfect temple was created, we
might ask in vain of geologist or theologian. Certainly
it is well designed to raise in the beholders thoughts of
adoration for its all-skilful Architect, while they assign
to it a chief place among the wonders of his workman-
ship.
An urn-shaped mass, similar to the one here observed,
of great regularity and beauty of form, and not less than
50 feet in height, may be seen at another point of the
coast. Several rills of water leap from the very top of
these precipitous cliffs, and add much to the charm of
the view. Indeed, taken in connection with the wide-
sweeping lake, the distant mountain ranges, and the
woodland, crowning the cliff, the scene presented is of
the most picturesque and wildest character.
Digitized
by Google
AZOIC ROCKS, AND MINERAL REGION 49
" Where'er we gaze, around, above, below,
What rainbow tints, what magic charms are found !
Rock, river, forest, mountain, all abound,
And bluest skies that harmonize the whole ;
Beneath, the distant torrent's rushing sound
Tells where the volumed cataract doth roll,
Between those hanging rocks, that shock yet please the soul."
Against these huge ramparts in the hour of the storm
the billows of this impetuous lake dash with terrific fury,
rumbling beneath the open arches, until, from the hollow
caverns within, the sounds return like distant echoes, and
at times their spray is thrown to the very summits of the
cliff. Woe betide the bark that is overtaken by the tem-
pest before these hopeless barriers !
But when the winds are down, lulling the lake to gent-
lest murmurs, the cautious boatman plies along the lone
rampart, and with beating heart ventures to explore its
awe-inspiring recesses, those
" Worn and wild receptacles,
Worked by the storms, yet work'd as it were planned.
In hollow halls, with sparry roof and cells."
From this sketch some correct idea may perhaps be
gathered of a few of those strange forms which Nature,
in her sportive hours, has here carved out of the solid
fabric of the globe, as if in mockery of the efforts of
man, gigantic monuments of that immeasurable Power
who formed the wonders of the universe.
Thirty miles west from the Pictured Rocks, at Choco-
late and Carp rivers, we first met, in their approach to
the shore, the azoic or primary rocks, which from here
onward constitute so interesting and important a feature
in the geology of the country. Of their scientific or
Digitized
by Google
JO LAKE SUPERIOR IN 1840.
their economical character it is not my purpose to speak,
further than to say that to them belong the iron beds,
which are such a mine of wealth to our State. Here, a
few years after our visit, sprang into being the busy and
thriving city of Marquette. But at the time of which I
speak, all was a solitude.
From hence to Keweenaw Bay ranges of granite knobs
rise into considerable hills, and around them lie a series
of quartzites, slates, and metamorphosed sandstones.
The granites are pierced by dykes of trap, which in
some cases form straight, narrow, and often lofty walls, in
others have overflowed in irregular masses. Here Pluto,
not Neptune, has been the controlling spirit, and has left
the witness of his rule upon the face of the country.
Ascending the knobs of granite and quartz, the change
is most striking. To the east the eye embraces a. tract
lying in immense broad steppes of the sandstone, extend-
ing beyond the Pictured Rocks; while to the west are
seen only rolling hills and knobs, terminating in the
Huron Mountains.
I can add nothing to what is so well known of the
mineral riches of this part of the country. But there is
in its building-stones a wealth that is hardly yet begun to
be realized. No more beautiful and serviceable material
than the easily-worked and variously-tinted sandstones is
found in the West ; and her granites, already broken by
natural forces into convenient blocks, and as yet untried,
will command a market in the time coming, when the
solid and durable shall be regarded as chief requisites to
good architecture.
Following" our westerly direction to Point Keweenaw,
we find the dominion of Pluto established on a most
magnificent scale. Not only is his energy displayed in
Digitized
by Google
5'
Digitized
by Google
y
52 LAKE SUPERIOR IN 1840.
the stern and rock-bound coast, but in the lofty ranges
of trap, which rise into rugged hills of from 400 to 900
feet above the lake. Within these are secreted, but
scarcely concealed, those wonderful veins of native cop-
per, here quarried rather than mined, in masses such as
the world has nowhere else produced.
But of all this wealth nothing was then known, except
that traces of copper were visible at a few places along
the coast, and that a large mass of the native metal lay
in the bed of Ontonagon River, long revered by the In-
dians as a Manitou, and mentioned in the relations of the
early French historians.
I will but add, as the result of this season's explora-
tions, that the report of the State geologist, published
the ensuing winter, unravelled the whole subject of the
mode of occurrence of the copper and its associated min-
erals, in the most complete and scientific manner. It
first made known the immense value which Michigan
possessed in its hitherto despised Upper Peninsula ; and
its immediate effect was to arouse an interest in this then
wild and uninhabited Indian territory, which has led to
the opening up of its mines, and its present teeming
prosperity.
On the third of July we encamped at Copper Harbor,
and spent several days in exploration of the surrounding
country, and in blasting for ores. Several blasts were
got ready for the great national jubilee, which we com-
memorated in the noisy manner usual with Americans,
by a grand discharge from the rocks. We succeeded in
producing a tremendous report, and the echo, resounding
from the placid water as from a sounding-board, pealed
forth in corresponding reverberations for several minutes.
Later in the day we retired to our camp and partook of
Digitized
by Google
ADVENTURE AT T^E ONTONAGON.
53
an equally grand dinner. It consisted of pigeons, fried
and stewed, corn and bean soup, short-cake and hard-
tack, pork, and — last but not least — a can of fine oysters,
which had been brought along for the occasion. Truly a
sumptuous repast for a party of wilderness vagrants, even
on a Fourth of July anniversary !
But time warns me to hasten my journey. I will
therefore proceed at once to the Ontonagon, where an
adventure befel, which it becomes a true knight-errant to
relate. It was our purpose to pass up this river to the
large mass of copper already alluded to. As we landed
at the mouth there were noticed, on the opposite side of
the river, several Indian lodges. As soon as we had
dined, a few of the occupants crossed over in canoes,
shook hands with us, giving the usual greeting of " Bo
jou,** and received a small gift of tobacco and bread.
Accompanying were half a dozen young boys, some of
whom had remarkably fine features. We could not but
notice, as an unusual circumstance, that several of the
men were painted black. One athletic fellow in particu-
lar, in this grimy coloring, and naked except the clout,
made a very grotesqlie though savage appearance. The
devil himself, however, is said not to be so black as he is
painted, and this fellow seemed rather to act the buffoon
than the noble warrior.
The party proved to belong to the Buffaloes, whose
chief we had met at River Tequamenon, near the eastern
end of the lake, and were under the command of the son
of that chief. The latter was a resolute-looking fellow,
of about 26 or 30 years of age. His face was painted red,
and he wore a medal bearing the likeness of John Quincy
Adams. We paid little attention to the Indians, al-
Digitized
by Google
54 LAKE SUPERIOR IN 1840.
though aware that on several occasions exploring parties \
had been stopped at the mouth of this river and turned
back. \
We had made but two or three miles progress up the |
stream when the rapid stroke of paddles was heard, and
a canoe, manned with Indians, shot quickly around a
bend below and came into sight. The savages were
seated, as their custom is, in the bottom of their bark,
so that only heads and shoulders were visible. As each
applied his whole strength the canoe skimmed over the
surface like a young duck, while the dashing of so many
paddles caused her to seem propelled by a water-wheel.
Our leader's boat, which was ahead, immediately lay
to and raised her American flag. " If they want to fight,''
said the Doctor, "we'll give them a chance." Our tw^o
boats moved into line, and the doctor's assistants armed
themselves, one with a revolver, the other with a rusty
shot-gun, our entire military resource. The canoe was
soon alongside, and the heads and shoulders proved to
belong to the bodies of eight stout natives, headed by
the young chief. Dr. Houghton held out his hand to be
shaken as before. He then asked, through an interpreter,
if they recollected the man who had put something into
their arms when they were sick, a number of years ago.
This something was vaccine for the small-pox. Doctor H.
having accompanied the Schoolcraft expedition, in the
capacity of physician and botanist. To this the chief,
who doubtless well knew, made no reply, but demanded
our errand up the river, and said that he and his men had
been stationed at the mouth by his father, the head of
the tribe, with orders to allow no boat to pass up without
that chief's permission. He added further, that we had
not paid him, the son, the respect that was his due, by
Digitized
by Google
ADVENTURE AT THE ONTONAGON.
55
calling at his lodge and leaving a present. Our leader
replied that he was sent hithef by their great Father,
whose instructions he should obey ; that he should as-
cend the river as far as suited him, and that he did not
recognize in them any authority to stop him.
Chief, You must wait at the mouth until the Buffalo
comes up. Else I and my band shall go with you, and
see that you take nothing.
Doctor, I have been here before, and shall go now, as
I am ordered by your great Father. I know the country
and do not need a guide.
Chief, This country belongs to us.
Doctor. I know that the country is Indian territory,
but the treaty of 1826 allows citizens of the United
States to visit it. Neither shall I ask consent of the
chief to take what I please. But, being acquainted with
the Buffalo, I have no objection to showing him what I
bring away.
At this stage of the altercation another canoe came in
sight, which proved to contain the boys. By this time
two of the Indians had made free to step into our small
boat, where they seated themselves with great appear-
ance of familiarity. The affair would have had enough
of the ludicrous mingled with its serious aspect to war-
rant us in making light of it, and holding no further par-
ley, but for two considerations, which we could not af-
ford to overlook. Owing to the numerous rapids, the
barge, Avhich contained our whole stock, could be got up
only ten miles, while we had to proceed to the forks,
twenty miles further, in our smaller boat, and thence five
miles by foot. And in case of a trial of strength with
the Indians, no dependence could be placed upon our
Digitized
by Google
56 LAKE SUPERIOR IN 1840.
hired voyageurs, most of whom were allied to the oppo-
site party, both in blood and training.
Pointing to a bend in the river, our detainers now said,
** We are determined that you shall not go beyond that
point to-night.** This audacious order determined us to
at once break off all conference, so asserting our inten-
tion to be no longer hindered or delayed, we prepared for
immediate departure. After some consultation among
themselves, the chief answered, that if we would then
and there make them a present of a keg of pork and a
barrel of flour we would be allowed to proceed, but
should be expected to bestow a further present to the
head chief on our return.
To this bold demand, which plainly appeared to be a
levy of blackmail, an act of piracy. Dr. Houghton re-
plied that he would give \}[it,\Xi as a present such things
as they stood in immediate need of, but nothing more.
Nor should he recognize the shadow of a right to de-
mand even that. Accordingly, a bag filled with flour,
and some pork and tobacco were offered, and the leader
agreed to accept his present in powder, lead, and provis-
ions at La Pointe, whither we were bound.
The parley being at an end, we drew off and pushed up
the stream. The hostiles remained awhile in consulta-
tion, and then* withdrew in the opposite direction. A
few miles above we encamped for the night.
It was a necessity, as I have stated, to leave our barge
behind with all our stores, while the exploring party were
absent for two days and a night. Of course this dilemma
was known to the enemy. Holding a council of war the
next morning, it was resolved to leave with our goods
four of the men, together with the gun. They received
most positive orders to fire upon the first Indian who
Digitized
by Google
X
H
o
<
•-)
•-)
2
57
Digitized
by Google
58 LAKE SUPERIOR IN 1840.
touched the baggage, in case any of them should return,
as we had reason to expect. And our captain added
with solemn emphasis, that if any man failed in fidelity,
his own life should pay the forfeit. Having thus played
upon their fears, we pursued our laborious journey,
reached the Copper Rock at nightfall, and, tired with the
day's toils, laid down beneath the cover of the forest and
slept soundly.
The next morning we proceeded to the difficult task
of detaching portions of the metallic mass, which was
successfully accomplished, and we brought away about
twenty-five pounds of it. I will here add, that this cop-
per boulder was, a few years afterwards, removed through
the agency of Mr. Eldred, of Detroit, and taken to Wash-
ington, where it enriches the museum of the Smithsonian
Institution. It is now no novelty to see very much
larger masses brought down and landed on the dock at
our smelting works.
But to conclude the narrative : on reaching camp, on
our return, we learned that the chief, with several of his
band, had been there, but had touched nothing, and ac-
cording to his own account, had taken the trail for Lake
Flambeau, in order to join a war-party, then organizing,
of the Chippewas against the Sioux. Notwithstanding
this story we fully expected to meet these fellows again
at the mouth, and to whip them there if we could. But
when we reached the place all was silent, and the lodges
deserted.
I will only add to this long story, that bur captain's
order was never presented. We learned further, on reach-
ing La Pointe, that the party which waylaid us had known
of our journey from the first ; that they had " smoked
over it," had dogged us the whole way up the lake, sub-
Digitized by
Google
LA POINTE,
59
sisting themselves by fishing, and that when we met they
were nearly starved.
I will take my hearers but one stage further before
closing this excursive ramble.
A few days brought us to the islands called by Carver 1/
" The Apostles.'* On one of the largest of these, Mad-
eline, at La Pointe, is located a general depot of the
American Fur Company, for atl the western parts of the
lake, and the chain of lakes and rivers leading into it.
It had become, in consequence, an asylum for all the old
traders of that part of the country, and the temporary
abode of great numbers of Indians. After pitching our
tents on the beach, in front of the fort, amid a crowd of
Indians and equally idle half-breeds, we were welcomed
by the company's factor. Dr. Borup, Mr. Oakes, the
factor from Fond-du-lac, and Mr. Bushnell, the Indian
agent, and invited to all the hospitalities of the place.
During our whole voyage from the Sault we had not
seen the face of a white man, except at the mission of
L' Anse, and a casual fishing party. But here, at the end
of our wandering, far from what we had been accustomed
to consider the Hmits of civilization, we were greeted, in
the families of these gentlemen, not only by features to
which we had been so long strangers, but by all the at-
tendant civilized refinements. The dress and manners of
the East, the free converse with friendly voices of our
own and the gentler sex, the music of a piano, the sound .
of the church-going bell and Christian services, seemed to
us rather like a return to our homes than the extreme of
a two-months' journey in the wilderness.
It may interest my hearers to know in more detail
Digitized
by Google
6o LAKE SUPERIOR IN 1840.
what composed a post so remote, and which was to me
so much a surprise.
La Pointe at that period was one of those peculiar
growths known only to an era which has long passed
away, or been banished to regions still more remote.
What is called the company's " fort '* consisted of two
large stores painted red, a long storehouse for fish, at the
wharf, and a row of neat frame buildings painted white.
The latter were occupied 'by the half dozen families in
the company's employ. These dwellings, with the two
stores, formed opposite sides of a broad street, in the
centre square of which was planted a large flag-pole.
Upon this street also clustered sundry smaller and un-
painted log tenements of the French and half-breeds.
Half a mile from the fort were the Protestant and Cath-
olic missions. The former boasted a good frame man-
sion of two stories, attached to which was a school, num-
bering thirty scholars. The Catholic mission had a large
number of followers, including the French and Indians.
In all, the settlement contained about fifty permanent
tenements. Beside these were perhaps an equal number
of Indian lodges, irregularly disposed in vacant spaces,
and adding to the size and picturesque character of the
village. Several hundred Indians usually found constant
employ in the fisheries at* this place.
This was the oldest, as well as most remote, of the
Jesuit missions in the North-west, having been established
by Father Allouez, in 1665. It was then a gathering
place of many Indian nations, and was hundreds of miles
from the nearest French settlement.
It has additional interest from the fact that it witnessed
the youthful and zealous labors of Pere Marquette, who
came, in 1669, to take the place of Father Allouez, among
Digitized
by Google
PERE MARQUETTE. (FROM THE STATUE AT CITY HALL. DETROIT.)
J. M. DONALDSON, SC.
61
Digitized
by Google
62 LAKE SUPERIOR IN 1840.
the Ottawas, Hurons, and other tribes of the neighbor-
hood. It was at La Pointe that Marquette planned that
voyage of first discovery, exploration and missionary en-
terprise down the Mississippi which has rendered his
name illustrious.
In the families I have mentioned might be detected
an intermixture of Indian blood, which detracts little
even from the fairness of the daughters, and the ladies
as well as the gentlemen are intelligent and highly edu-
cated. Their lives, when not occupied in business, are
spent in reading and music ; and during the long, cold
winter, frequent rides are taken on' the ice, upon which
they pass from island to island in sledges drawn by dogs.
I could not but picture to my mind, outside of this in-
telligent circle, the festivities which marked this distant
post, at that season, in the more palmy days of the fur
trade ; when it would be crowded with the hangers-on of
such an establishment, returned from their sojourn in the
trapping grounds, or their toilsome voyages to and from
Montreal and Quebec, bent on lavishing away their sea-
son's earnings in days of idleness or debauch, and in " long
nights of revelry and ease.**
Much of this old-time character still remained. The
motley population, the unique village, the fisheries and
furs, the Indian dances and pow-wows, the mixture of civ-
ilization and barbarism, the isolation, broken only by
occasional and irregular arrivals from the world below, —
made up a scene for which we were little prepared, which
will not be easily forgotten, but of which >I can give only
this meagre description.
Digitized
by Google
A MICHIGAN GEOLOGICAL EXPEDI-
TION IN 1837.
Digitized
by Google
** Primitive liberty, at last I have found thee ! I pass like that bird which
flies before me, which pursues its way at random, and is embarrassed only
by the choice of shades. While the inhabitants of the rivers accompany
my canoe, those of the air sing me their hymns, the beasts of the earth
salute me, and the forests bow their tops as I pass.
" "Who can describe the feelings that are experienced on entering these
forests, coeval with the world, and which alone afford an idea of the crea-
tion, such as it issued from the hands of the Almighty."— Chateaubriand,
Travels in America^ I79i»
Digitized
by Google
A MICHIGAN GEOLOGICAL EXPEDITION
IN 1837.*
A RECENT paper read before this society, giving an
interesting description of the Saginaw Valley as
seen in 1850, suggests some incidents of an expedition
into the same valley, in which the writer of this had a
share, thirteen years before. At the request of your
president, I have undertaken to jot down some of my
reminiscences of that journey. These, if they have no
other interest, may serve to show the progress of enter-
prise and settlement in that region, and bring into con-
trast its feeble beginning and privations of the past, with
its present abounding prosperity.
In 1837, the State of Michigan, then in the first year
of its young but vigorous existence, organised a State
Geological Survey ; but the scanty appropriation sufficed
only to enable its projector to accomplish, during that
year, a limited reconnoissance. This extended, neverthe-
less, to some degree, into the almost unexplored portion
of the lower peninsula.
Salt springs were known to exist, particularly in the
vicinity of Grand and Saginaw rivers, and the few facts
known of the rocks which constituted most of the coast
lines, and made occasional outcrops in the interior, were
sufficient to indicate the probability of the existence of
coal and gypsum.
♦Read before the Detroit Pioneer Society, Jan., 1872.
65
Digitized
by Google
66 A GEOLOGICAL EXPEDITION IN 1837. ,
It was required, by the act establishing the survey, that
an examination and report upon the salt springs should
be made at the end of the first season.
It is my intention to relate some of the incidents of a
trip — or short campaign, if I may so term it — made in the
fall of 1837, for the purpose of making an examination of
these springs, and such other geological discoveries as
might be made, in the country traversed by those great
natural highways, the streams tributary to the Saginaws.
The party consisted of four individuals : Dr. Houghton,
the State geologist, and three assistants, — Mr. C. C.
Douglass, the writer, and — a dog.
The latter was no inconsequential member of the corps,
and had, like the rest, his appointed duties to perform.
Dask was his name ; indicative also of his nature.
This was before the day of railroads, although the
young State had already projected its magnificent scheme
of internal improvements, and for a considerable part of
our contemplated route there were no highways but the
streams. Our plan was to reach, by private conveyance,
some point on the Shiawassee River, whence we could
embark in a canoe and descend to the Saginaw.
Loading into a wagon at Detroit our few traps, which
consisted of a tent, provisions, an axe and a gun, in the
afternoon of Sept. 13, 1837, we proceeded as far as Royal
Oak, where we encamped by the roadside, in the inde-
pendent mode common to immigrants at that period.
To the writer the situation had the charm which youth
always finds in novelty.
I will not detain you with incidents, and will only
mention the few villages through which we passed.
Prominent among these was Pontiac. The first settler,
Mr. Williams, came to this place in 18 17 or 18 18, with an
Digitized
by Google
THE WAGON JOURNEY. 6/
exploring party, among whom was Governor Cass. This
whole region was then supposed to be an interminable
morass, and so wild and dangerous was this expedition
thought to be, that the party, before setting forth, took
leave of their friends with all the solemnity befitting so
grave an occasion.
At the time of my visit, Pontiac was a pretty, business-
like place. It had been settled 13 years, but had just re-
ceived incorporation by the legislature. It has alvuays
retained its bustling character, while growing rapidly
from a thriving hamlet into a beautiful and well built
city.
The surrounding country seemed to our eyes far enough
removed from the gloomy morass which wild imagina-
tion had depicted it, 20 years before. It appeared to me
the most beautiful the sun ever shone upon. It was of
the character then beginning to be classed as** openings,**
characterized by a gravelly soil and a sparse growth of
oaks and hickories. I speak in the past tense, because,
though the rural beauty of the country is still unrivalled,
little remains of the original character of the openings.
This is a result partly of the process of cultivation, and
partly of the thick growth of small timber that has cov-
ered all the uncultivated portions since the annual fires
have ceased, which kept down the underbrush.
Elevated 400 feet above Detroit River, broken into hills
and knobs, which rise frequently 100 feet and more above
the surrounding surface, with intervening vales and hol-
lows, forming basins for lakes of the clearest water ; in
the midst of a park of nature's sole forming, inimitable by
the hand of art, this lake region of Michigan deserves
its celebrity.
But at the period I allude to, no straight-fenced roads
Digitized
by Google
68 ^ GEOLOGICAL EXPEDITION IN 1837.
shut in the highway, and travellers might wind at will
through the superb natural park, trampling down only the
flowers that in many places created glowing parterres ;
catching many a bright reflection from the limpid lakes,
and sometimes stealing distant sight of a herd of deer,
scarcely more wild than the peaceful landscape over
which they roamed. Climbing a tree on one of the most
elevated knobs, I had a view over probably the whole of
Oakland County : seven lakes lay at my feet ; on the
north and west undulations, like heavy swells of the sea,
and on the east a level plain, stretching to the horizon
like an pcean^s verge.
Byron, in the south-east corner of Shiawassee County,
was the termination of our wagon journey. The name
had long occupied a prominent place on all the old maps
of Michigan,— at that time a decade was antiquity, — and
held out to the newcomer the promise of a large and
thriving village. The reality was disappointing. It pos-
sessed— all told — a mill and two houses.
Fentonville, though of more recent origin, had out-
grown it, and boasted a tavern, a store, and several frame
tenements.
At Byron we exchanged our wagon for a canoe, and
commenced a descent of Shiawassee River.
From Byron to Owasso, about twenty miles direct (but
many more by the course of the stream), our way lay
mostly through land more heavily timbered, but varied
with openings and occasional plains. Through this part
of the county roads had been opened, and settlements
had made rapid progress.
We were now to make our way by the aid of the cur-
rent, but this meant not all plain-sailing nor luxurious en-
joyment. The river was interrupted by numerous rapids.
Digitized
by Google
RIVER VOYAGING.
69
of difficult if not dangerous navigation, and over these
shallows we had to drag the canoe. As this necessitated
getting into the water, we were provided with water-tight
boots, that turned up to the thighs.
At the approach of night a favorable landing was se-
lected, and a new division of labor took place. While
one cleared the spot and pitched the tent, another cut
wood for the fire, and a third prepared the evening meal.
Your humble servant, being installed into the ancient and
honorable dignity of cook, had this duty to perform.
Any one who has sweetened his food with the sauce of
hunger knows how little culinary art is requisite to satisfy
famishing guests. Indeed, a piece of fat pork, fried upon
a stick over the camp fire, after hours of labor in the
wilderness, is a morsel sweeter than any which the pam-
pered epicure knows. To this standard dish our one gun
enabled us to add such small game as we chose to take
the trouble to obtain.
But my position involved also a duty which might be
supposed of less easy accomplishment ; viz., the cleaning
of the dishes. Fortunately, I was permitted to make free
of the assistance of the fourth member of our family.
Dash, being properly educated to this service, was not al-
lowed his own dinner until he had thoroughly and im-
partially scoured our tin plates and sauce-pan ; in which
duty, I must do him the justice to say, he proved a skil-
ful adept. Indeed, after long experience, I am prepared
to recommend a dog*s tongue as more effectual than
any dish-cloth, with all the aids of hot water and soap.
After this process, a simple rinsing in the clear water of
the river constituted all the additional operation that the
most fastidious could demand.
Several years had passed since the extinguishment of
Digitized
by Google
70 ^ GEOLOGICAL EXPEDITION IN 1837.
the Indian title to the lands of the Chippewas, who had
claimed this part of the peninsula. But many and exten-
sive reservations lined the Shiawassee and other of the
tributaries of the Saginaw, and the natives had as yet felt
too little of that fatal spell which falls upon them with
the very beginning of the white settlements, to have
abandoned much of their old habits.
As we followed down the stream, memorials of the
present and recent Indian occupation were frequent.
Sometimes we passed huts, constructed of poles, and
thatched with bark, but only a few squaws and children
were visible. At one place on the bank were ten graves,
over which a sort of tomb had been erected, built of logs.
Trails were frequent, and on one of these we came upon
a tree containing an Indian symbolic epistle. There
were figures of men and horses, but we were unable to
decipher the meaning. At another place was a cache
or pit for hiding provisions.
Many of the Indian clearings stretched for several con-
tinuous miles, and many acres bordering the river were
covered with the luxuriant maize, — the chief cultivated
food of the natives. These plantations receive the name
of villages, because they are resorted to by the tribes
at the periods of cultivation and harvest. But, in fact,
these people had no fixed habitations, but wandered, like
the Arabs — their Eastern cousins — from place to place, in
patriarchal bands, finding such subsistence as the woods
and waters afforded, and pursuing the occupation of
trapping and barter with the Indian traders.
At this time, also, they were much scattered by the
small-pox, a disease recently introduced by the whites,
and which had proved very fatal to the aboriginal inhab-
itants of this part of Michigan.
Digitized by
Google
THE SHI A WASSEE,
71
Indian trading-houses were a frequent feature, that
served to connect the wildness of savage life with the in-
coming civilization.
. Five miles above Shiawassee town was a small Indian
village, upon what was known as Knaggs* Reservation,
and at a short distance was the house of a trader — Beau-
bien. Williams, the first settler, came here six years be-
fore (183 1), and opened a trading-store, as an agent of
that extensive enterprise — the American Fur Company.
A frame house had since been erected, and a few acres
cleared, — the small beginning of one of those invasions
of the Saxon upon the Savage which, in an incredibly
short period, will leave the latter not even his grave.
Shiawassee town, at this time, contained a dozen log
cabins, and as many frames unfinished. One of these
was of quite superior construction, and indicative of the
era of speculation through which the country had passed.
It was three stories in height, and designed for a hotel.
The whole village was under mortgage, and was adver-
tised to be sold at public vendue.
Corunna, the county seat, we found to consist oione log
house, situated upon the bank of the river, and occupied
by a Mr. Davis, who, a year before, and soon after the
organization of the county, had made an entry here. A
steam mill was in process of erection. About twenty
acres of land had been cleared and planted ; and never
did crystal stream lave a more fertile soil.
Three miles below was " located " the village of Owas-
so, already a thriving settlement, containing a dozen log
buildings, one frame one, and a saw-mill.
With the exception of a few scattered settlers upon
the plains, south of the line of the present Detroit and
Milwaukee Railway, such constituted the entire white
population of Shiawassee County.
Digitized
by Google
72 A GEOLOGICAL EXPEDITION IN 1837.
In the early part of the season, during the progress of
the geological survey, beds of bituminous coal had been
discovered in the bank of Grand River, in Ingham and
Eaton counties, and the rocks met with through the
central part of Shiawassee — belonging to the "coal
measures** — gave hope of finding an outcrop. Pros-
pecting was accordingly commenced by us at Corunna,
but, with the slender means at command, did not prove
successful. Yet sufficient was determined, from the
character and dip of the rocks, and other indications, to
warrant a recommendation to the settlers to continue
the investigation. The result was the finding of coal at
Corunna, soon after ; which, though not of very remu-
nerative thickness, has been used to considerable extent
ever since.
I will add, that the year's explorations determined the
boundaries of the southerly half of the coal basin of
Michigan. Its extent to the north yet remains a prob-
lem, to be solved by the hardy pioneers and explorers,
who, for a few years past, have been at work so de-
terminedly to bring into the markets of the world that
rich and important portion of our State.
A mile below Owasso we passed the last of the white
clearings, and made our night's encampment within Big
Rock Reservation, twelve miles below that village, and
twenty miles from Saginaw.
We had now entered upon the wild and primeval
forest, extending in a solitude unbroken by any human
sight or sound, except the cabin of the natives and the
hut of the Indian trader, to the shores of the upper
lakes. For the first time I was startled in my slumbers
by the "wolfs long howl,*' mingled with the hooting
of an owl
Digitized
by Google
THE FOREST PRIMEVAL.
73
Hitherto we had encountered at every few miles the
cabin of some adventurous pioneer, for whom the forests
had no terrors, but now we were alone with Nature. We
could appreciate, in its full extent, the solitude, the
boundlessness, the sublimity of this earliest of earth's
offspring, — the grand, old, untutored forest.
He who has only traversed woodlands where, at every
few miles, he meets a road leading to civilized belong-
ings, knows little of the sense of awe inspired by a forest
solitude that has never echoed to the woodman's axe,
and where every footstep conducts only into regions
more mysterious and unknown.
The woods of this part of Michigan comprised a
very mingled growth. Oaks, not gnarled and spreading,
as in more open lands, but at once massive and tall, and
centuries old ; the elm, that most graceful and majestic of
trees of any land ; the tulip or whitewood, magnificent in
size and height above even the Titans of the forest ; the
broad and green-leaved linden ; the clean-bodied beech ;
the saccharine maples, 50 superb in their autumnal dresses,
— dyed like Joseph's coat of many colors ; the giant syc-
amore, ghost-like, with its white, naked limbs; — these
are the common habitants of the forest ; with other
kinds, each possessing its peculiar grace, and a use and
beauty almost unknown in other lands.
We had reached, too, the latitude of the evergreens,
which from hence northward, to the farthest limits,
become a distinguishing feature of the Michigan forests,
imparting to them a more wonderful variety and
majesty. Many a towering pine, 1 50 feet in height, now
began to lift its head above its fellow inhabiters, green
through youth and age, through verdure and frost. In
many places the desert gloom was deepened by the
Digitized
by Google
74 ^ GEOLOGICAL EXPEDITION IN 1837.
dense and sombre shade of hemlocks, which bent their
graceful spray to the earth, and almost shut out the light
of day
We took the measure of a white oak that stood at
the border of the timbered land and the openings, which
I here note as worthy of record. It was thirty-five feet
in circumference, — nearly twelve feet diameter. A very
respectable tree to be found out of California.
No kind of travel can be imagined more romantically
charming than that of floating down the current of one
of these large and rapid streams that water this portion
of Michigan, piercing the heart of the trackless wilder-
ness. The trees along the banks, instead of forming up-
right walls, exhibiting the naked trunks of the tall wood-
land monarchs, throw out thick branches to the sunHght,
which bend gracefully to the water, as if to form a screen
to the forest depths. Wild fowl are easily approached
at almost every bend, affording an ample supply of fresh
food without the fatigue of hunting, and at night the
camp is made beneath the leafy arches, and lulled by
the murmur of the stream or the roar of the wind in
the pine tops.
Descending now a wider stream, with a smooth and
gentle current, we passed, successively, the mouths of
these long feeders to the greater stream, — the Flint, the
Cass and the Tittabawassee, — and on the 23d September
were opposite Saginaw City.
The last few miles had presented to our view the first
irreclaimable marsh we had seen, and here there was
plenty of it. The " City ** occupied -what seemed to be
the only considerable elevation for many miles, being
about thirty feet above the river.
The paper read to you by Mr. Jennison gave so full
Digitized
by Google
SAGINAW CITY.
75
and minute a history of the settlement of the Saginaw
Valley that I avoid repetition. I will only refresh your
recollection, by stating that the general Government
erected a fort here in 1820, and at the same time was
established a centre of Indian trade, by the American-
Fur Company. The country had been visited by General
Cass the year previous, and a treaty effected with the
native chiefs, by which the lands of the Chippewas were
ceded to the United States.
The oldest settlement for farming purposes was made
about 1829, and the present site of Saginaw City laid
out in 1835. This was just before the height of that mad
fever of speculation into which so many plunged wildly,
and which built in the wilderness many prospective cities,
most of them existing only in the privileged future or on
paper plots. Saginaw was one of the few that had good
foundation for its celebrity ; though as yet there had been
little realization of its dreams of future greatness.
My notes record that the city comprised nearly fifty
frame houses, four stores — one a handsome dry gdods
and grocery store, on a large scale — two warehouses,
and another in progress, a small church, two steam saw-
mills, and, in process of erection, a large edifice, to be
called the " Webster House '* ; this already made a sightly
appearance, being 60 by 80 feet. All were of wood.
The stockades of the fort still remained ; they were some
ten feet in height, and surrounded about an acre. I
believe that the abandonment of this fortress was occa-
sioned by sickness among the troops^ in 1824, three-
fourths of the garrison being ill at once of the fevers of
the country.
I can add but few to the list of names illustrious in
the Saginaw annals, already given you, but I met there,
Digitized
by Google
»j(i A GEOLOGICAL EXPEDI7V0N IN 1837.
and I well remember, the Littles — Norman and William
P. ; Hiram Miller and James Fraser; Judge Riggs,
Mr. Watson and Mr. Lyon ; — men to whose energy and
practical wisdom the valley owes so large a share of
its prosperity.
It has been stated that the mill known as Emerson*s
was erected in 1834. I have no recollection of any mill
on the east side at the date I record, and the distin-
guished individual whose name it bearS was, at that time,
still delighting the happy citizens of Detroit by his curt
and vehement eloquence. If three mills existed at Sagi-
naw in the fall of 1837, they were certainly the only
ones (with one exception) upon that river, as the "City **
was the only settlement, if we except a few solitary cabins.
Where now the busy and populous cities of East Sc^gi-
naw, Bay City, Winona and Portsmouth, numbering
their many thousands, stretch almost into a continuous
village, for twenty miles below, where the clangor of
a hundred mills mingles with the puff of steamers and
the scream of the locomotive, and a scene of industry,
enterprise and thrift is exhibited which few spots on
this earth can rival, was at the period of my visit a sol-
itude, resonant only with the grand, still voices of
Nature. Beyond the settlement immediately about
the " City,'* extended the untrimmed forest, as vast
and almost as undisturbed as when, to the eyes of De
Tocqueville, it was "a real desert.**
Having advanced so far with my narrative, I ought,
perhaps, in the manner of story-tellers, — though mine is
no fiction, — to give a description of the personal appear-
ance of my personages.
Though nearly a generation has passed since the
death of Dr. Houghton, no doubt most of those here
Digitized
by Google
DOCTOR HOUGHTON. yy
present well remember the peculiar characteristics of one
not easily forgotten ; — his diminutive stature — his keen
blue eye, — his quick, active motions, — the strong sense
and energy of his words, when dealing with matters of
science, and his indomitable perseverance in carrying out
his designs. They well remember, too, his love of fun,
and his hilarious manner of telling a comic story. Of
such he had a large fund, and a happy way of using ;
preserving a grave countenance until he got through,
and then joining in the laugh with a peculiar cachina-
tion, so contagious as to be alone sufficient to set every
one in a roar.
He was no carpet knight of science, and on his geolog-
ical excursions never flinched from hard work and ex-
posure.
On these occasions he usually wore a suit of gray, the
coat having large side-pockets, and hanging loosely
upon his small frame. The hands and feet were very
small, but the latter were incased in boots that came
almost to his thighs. • His shocking bad hat was broad-
brimmed and slouched, almost concealing his face, and
his whole appearance was that of a battered, weather-
worn backwoodsman.
I remember meeting him a few years later, when his
scientific mind and energetic body had unravelled the
mysteries of the mineral region of Lake Superior, and
when the new fame of that region had called hosts of
scientists to those yet wild shores. He had just landed
at Eagle River, fresh from one of his rough expeditions,
and was immediately hailed and surrounded by men
known over the whole land for their scientific learning,
to whose figures and bearing his own presented a strik-
ing contrast. Yet these men bowed to his superior
Digitized
by Google
78 ^ GEOLOGICAL EXPEDITION IN 1837.
knowledge, — sagacity I might term it ; and one of them
frankly said in my hearing, that the little, rough-looking
Doctor carried more true knowledge in his cranium
" than all the big heads put together.*'
I am the more reminded of the personal app^rance
of our party by an incident which occurred, on occasion
of our return to Saginaw from a similar expedition, in
the following spring. We happened to be there at the
time of the marriage of a sister of Mr. Little, and were
among the distinguished guests invited to the wedding.
Now it chanced that one of the corps — I will not say
who — had, with false economy, donned for the expedi-
tion a suit of old clothes, which proved to be unequal to
the rough usage imposed upon them. When we reached
Saginaw he was literally in tatters. A hole garnished
each elbow ; another became visible when either arm was
raised. I have already alluded to the uncouth boots we
wore. They were outside the pantaloons, and when
not on river service, the wide tops were turned down from
the knee. The soles had uncommon width, the rule
which regulated surveyors* boots being that these shall
project so far beyond the uppers that a mouse might
run round on them.
As the other members of the corps were in little
better condition,-^none of us having a wedding garment,
— we would gladly have tendered our regrets, but the
persuasive words of our host were not to be withstood.
When I say that we went, I shall only add, that al-
though an apparition so unusual, among a company of
well dressed ladies and gentlemen, might well have oc-
casioned remark, the good sense and true politeness of
our host and his guests saved us mortification, and left
no cause to repent the venture.
Digitized
by Google
OUR FOURTH MEMBER. jg
As I have undertaken to describe the personnel of our
party, I must not omit some further mention of its
fourth member. Dash was of spaniel breed, and fond
of the water. In the supply of our larder he performed
the service of bringing to our boat the wild-fowl that
we occasionally shot, and which was abundant in these
waters. Nature had furnished him with capacious jaws,
which no game could escape, when once within their
grip. He had a habit of coming upon game with his
mouth wide open.
On one occasion, seeing what he supposed to be a
bird floating, he swam towards it, with mouth stretched
as usual, and making a grab, his jaws came together with
a sudden and loud snap over a piece of foam. Never
was dog more puzzled. He looked about with an air of
great amazement, and returned, very sheepishly, to be
drawn into the boat.
I will relate another anecdote, as showing how he im-
proved in his scientific education. On a future occasion,
being sent out for a wounded " diver," and not compre-
hending the resource of that active and sharp-witted
fowl, on the dog*s near approach the duck suddenly
dived out of sight. Dash was in evident bewilderment,
and unable to account for the sudden disappearance.
But he was not a dog to be discouraged by so difficult a
problem, and after the trick had been several times re-
peated, a glimmer of the true state of the case entered
his canine brain. This accomplished, he was equal to
the emergency; for when the diver again went down Dash
followed, and both were for some time out of sight. But
the dog came up victor, with the bird in his mouth.
As it was in our plan to inspect the salt springs on
the Tittabawassee, we had forwarded to Saginaw from
Digitized
by Google
3o A GEOLOGICAL EXPEDITION IN 1837.
Detroit supplies of biscuit, relying upon the country for
our pork. But none was to be had, and we were com-
pelled to resume our journey as destitute of that im-
portant item as were the poor inhabitants themselves,
who, with a large stock of merchandise, and the great
name of City, were awaiting the arrival of a schooner to
obtain the common necessaries of life. It was to be
hoped they were better off for intellectual food, for the
place supported a public journal.
Having obtained an order for a more suitable canoe
and a guide, we bade temporary adieu to Saginaw
(September 25), but were forced by a heavy rain to
seek shelter at the house of a Mr. Gardner, a short dis-
tance above, where, fortunately, we procured a few pounds
of pork. Here, at evening, a few neighbors dropped in,
and we consumed the time pleasantly in tales of hunt-
ing adventures and fearful Indian murders !
The next day found us at a village of the Chippewas
sixteen miles from Saginaw. It consisted of a few
lodges, mostly deserted, small-pox having nearly exter-
minated the band.
At the forks of the Tittabawassee and Pine rivers we
found several log cabins, one of which had been occupied
as a trading-post. They were inhabited, by half-breeds.
A Frenchman, with his two Indian wives, occupied the
trading-house.
It was still common enough to find, along the shores
of the great lakes and rivers, which had been so long the
highways of those lawless rangers, — the Coureurs de bois,
— during the flourishing period of the fur trade, the
cabin of a Canadian, who, with his Indian wife or wives
and a troop of half-breed children, had completely
adopted the native habits. He lived a half-vagabond
Digitized
by Google
THE TITTABAWASSEE, 8 1
life, depending upon fishing and trapping, and sometimes
finding employment as a voyageur.
A fair specimen of this class was our gpide, Pierre
Gruet. Of mixed French and Indian blood, it was hard
to tell of which character he most partook. Equally at
home in the Canadian cabin and the Indian wigwam, he
seemed to be acquainted with every individual of either
race that we met, and had a world of talk to unburden
himself of whenever we passed a lodge or met a canoe.
French joviality was in him united with savage wilful-
ness. Well enough when confined to his profession of
guide and interpreter ; as a worker, one American was
worth a dozen of him.
Opposite these forks of the river had been " located **
the village of Midland;* but it was a village without
inhabitants.
Ascending to Salt River, we completed such examina-
tion of the springs as the heavy rains of the season per-
mitted. The year following, the State commenced a
boring for a salt well near this point, but after a season's
labor, with favorable results, the many discouragements
attending the work caused its abandonment. Not the
least of these was the necessity of sending to Detroit,
with long delays and great expense, for everything
needed, even for repairs of the augers. It was not until
many years afterwards, and when along these vast water-
courses populous towns had sprung up, that the conclu
sions of science were brought to a full practical test, by
the establishment of salt wells on the Saginaw; with
what success you are all familiar.
I will only say, that in strength and purity the salt of
* Now a flourishing city of four thousand inhabitants (1885).
Digitized
by Google
82 A GEOLOGICAL EXPEDITION IN 1837.
the Saginaw Valley is fully equal to the celebrated arti-
cle so extensively made in Central New York ; that it
can be more cheaply manufactured ; and, with the increas-
ing facilities for market, is destined to be a very impor-
tant part of the wealth of Michigan. Already Saginaw
furnishes a supply one-half as large as the famous Onon-
daga.
We had now penetrated into the wilderness, many
miles beyond the most remote of the settlements of the
AnglorSaxon. Wild game was very abundant, but we
had not the time nor means to pursue it. Besides deer,
we had often seen along the shore tracks of the elk,
and sometimes of the moose, — an animal almost extinct.
Occasionally an otter raised his head above the water, or
plunged into it from the bank. We found fresh marks of
the labors of the beaver, — that most interesting creature,
once existing hereabouts in immense numbers, and now
quite hunted to the death. We had shot a snow-owl
and driven an eagle from his eyry, and had been regaled
with bear's meat, furnished us by the Indians.
How lovely, to our unaccustomed eyes, did nature
appear in these solitudes ! The first frosts had fallen,
and tinged the maples with yellow, orange and crimson ;
the beech was beginning to assume its russet coat, and
the hickories their brilliant yellow, gleaming, in the soft-
ened autumn sun, like towers of gold ! The river banks,
densely wooded, and overrun by the scarlet ivy, were
truly magnificent. In strong contrast with these brill-
iant colors of the autumn was the dark green — almost
black, in the shadow of the thick woodland — of the hem-
lock and fir, amid which shone the white bark of the
silver birch, and above all reared the verdant heads of
many a lofty pine.
Digitized
by Google
I
♦
f
A LUMBER REGION. 83
As yet no lumberman's axe had sought to desecrate
these glorious shades, nor the speculator to count the
dollars that lay hid in the hearts of these mighty pines.
But marvellous changes were in the not distant future.
The traffic in lumber, in the region watered by the
Saginaw and its tributaries, which had hardly its begin-
ning a decade after the period I am describing, has in
our day reached dimensions of which the wildest brain
could not then have dreamed. The main river, for
twenty miles from thq city of Saginaw to its mouth, i§
lined with mills. Mainly from this source of wealth
numerous cities have sprung into vigorous existence, and
five hundred millions of feet of lumber are sent annually,
by water and rail, south, east and west, thousands of
miles. Michigan pine is in demand, -even within the
sound of the lumber woods of Maine and Pennsylvania.
I recently visited Midland, not, as before, by the slow
progress of a little boat propelled by hands, but in the
magnificent cars of the Flint & Pere Marquette Railway,
transported by the wings of steam. Where, in 1837, was
laid the wilderness city of Midland, — a site without an
inhabitant, and approachable only by the river, — now
stands the busy, prosperous county seat. A railway
connects it with Saginaw, and is rapidly bearing its iron -
shod feet far beyond, and joining hands with those vigor-
ous pioneers on our western coasts, that are rapidly push-
ing on to the Straits of Mackinac. A street of shops,
hotels and public buildings, parallel with the river, forms
the centre to a town which covers, scatteringly, a mile
sqiiare, with its churches, mills and comfortable homes.
I passed forty miles further on to the north-west. The
scene was a revelation. We are accustomed to regard
the railroad as a creation that follows in the wake of
Digitized
by Google
84 ^ GEOLOGICAL EXPEDITION IN 1837.
man*s progress. Here it is the pioneer, the precursor of
civilization. It has pierced the heart of the hitherto
unbroken wilderness ; cutting for itself a narrow path,
where, on either side, tall pines and other trees rise into a
straight and lofty wall, admitting no prospect, except
the narrow line of light that diminishes to a thread in
the distance. No time has been allowed for clearings
and the ordinary attendants of cultivation. These are
all to follow. But saw-mills have sprung up along its
magic path, and line the road so thickly that, for nearly
the whole distance, I might count an average of two
mills to every mile; and all this accomplished within
little more than a year.
Having accomplished our river explorations, we pre-
pared for an expedition attended with some danger at
that late season, for the month of October had come.
This was a coasting voyage, from Saginaw to Port
Huron, performed in the canoe which had been procured
at the Chippewa Reservation. It was a " dug-out *' of
wood, thirty feet long, but so narrow, that, seated in the
line of the centre, we could use a paddle on either side.
In this puny craft we were to undertake, in the midcSe
of autumn, a lake journey of 150 miles.
We descended the Saginaw, which then exhibited few
indications of its coming greatness.
East Saginaw had no existence. The village of Car-
rolton had been plotted, four miles below Saginaw City,
and consisted of a two-story log house, used years lang-
syne as a trading-post.
Portsmouth contained a steam mill, four log cabins
and two board shanties, lying just above high-water
mark.
Lower Saginaw — now Bay City — occupied somewhat
Digitized
by Google
SAGINAW BAY, 8$
higher ground, and boasted a pretty frame office used as
a chapel, and two or more log hots. It was an infant of
one year. In^ preparation was the frame of a hotel,
which, in accordance with the usual custom of the flush
times, — already sadly gone, — was large enough to accom-
modate half the county.
I must here mention a fact which 1 have never seen
alluded to ; viz., that we found at several places along
the river, and sparingly on the Tittabawassee, apple trees.
They produced agreeable fruit, and some were apparently
of a century's growth. I will not speculate upon their
origin ; whether the seeds were brought here in the fruit,
and accidentally planted, by the voyageurs and coureurs
de bois, from the French orchards of Canada, or whether
they have a date still more remote. It is curious to
notice that some of the earliest travellers allude to or-
chards, then in profuse bearing, upon islands in the De-
troit River. I leave the problem to the antiquary.
Emerging into the bay we encountered, at the Kaw-
kalin River, the last trace of civilized footsteps which we
were to see for many days. It was a camp of United
States surveyors, — the Rousseaus, — where we were enter-
tained for the night, with all the hospitality which it is
common to find among those who dwell beyond the pale
of "good society." Unfortunately for our appreciation
of these good fellows, it subsequently appeared that the
returns of these surveyors were so made-up and false
that entire townships had to be re-surveyed by the
Government. Corruption in places of public trust is not
alone of modern origin.
Memorials of the native inhabitants were still frequent.
Upon a swelling knoll overlooking the bay, in the midst
of a tract of country from which all the timber had been
Digitized by
Google
86 A GEOLOGICAL EXPEDITION- IN 1837.
burned, was a spot which seemed to have been dedicated
to the evil Manitou. Here an altar was erected, composed
of two large stones, several feet in height, with a flat top
and broad base. About were smaller stones, which were
covered with propitiatory offerings, — bits of tobacco,
pieces of tin, flints, and such articles, of little value to the
Indian, as, with religious philosophy, he dedicates to his
Manitou. The place had witnessed, doubtless, many an
Indian powwow.
In the interest of the scientific object of our tour I will
here observe, that near Au Gres River we discovered, be-
neath the clear waters of the bay, a bed of gypsum.
Subsequently, an outcrop of this mineral was found on
the neighboring land, and has been long quarried with
profit.
Some islands lay several miles from shore, upon our
approach to which, immense numbers of gulls, that had
here their secure retreat and breeding-places, wheeled
about us, uttering loud cries. The young ones were
easily caught, and we found a few eggs. Here also sport
of an unusual kind awaited us. In the waves that broke
among the boulders along the shore, sturgeon were gam-
bolling. So intent were they upon their play, and so igno-
rant of man's superior cunning, that, springing in among
them, after a vigorous tussle we threw one ashore, with
no other aid than our hands. It stocked our larder for
several days, with its variety of meat, — fish, fowl and —
Albany beef.
Of our further voyage, until we rounded Point Aux
Barques, I have nothing to note, beyond the usual adven-
tures and delays that attend mariners in so perilous a
craft, upon the treacherous waves of Saginaw Bay. The
toils of the day were compensated by the sweetest of
Digitized by VjOOQIC
COASTING LAKE HURON.
87
slumbers, when, having supped on pork and hard bread,
wrapped each in his blanket, we fell asleep beneath the
soft influence of the Pleiades.
At the point alluded to the coast is iron-bound, afford-
ing no harbor, and being thickly wooded with evergreens,
its aspect was forbidding and gloomy. Add to this, that
the waves are incessantly lashing the rocks, which receive
the whole fury of the sea, whether the wind be from the
lake on the right or the broad bay on the left. This
action of the waters has caused channels to be worn
through large masses of the friable sandstone, which,
tumbling into the lake, form small islets.
In doubling the cape, the voyageur is struck with the
singular appearance of two projecting masses, detached
from the main, and covered with timber. They bear
close resemblance to the bows of vessels, with the hulls
exposed down to the keel. The bowsprit and sides are
nearly perfect. They are about 50 feet in the beam, and
16 to 20 in height. Nature seems often to delight in
such mimicry of the works of man. The name which
was bestowed by the French, at an early day, continues
still significant of the mimic resemblance.
Near White Rock, on Ihe Lake Huron coast, 50 miles
from its outlet, at the boundary of the then surveyed por-
tion of Sanilac County, we found a settler, — the first we
had met since leaving Saginaw River. Mr. Allen had
been here three months, and, with five hands, was erect-
ing a saw-mill on a dashing little brook that had nearly
swamped us in entering. He had no neighbor, but the
mistress of the house informed us they had been all sum-
mer in expectation and promise of the settlement at
White Rock City of 200 families.
The annals of this place constitute one of those chap-
Digitized
by Google
88 A GEOLOGICAL EXPEDITION IN 1837.
ters of romance, of which the records of 1835 and 1836 are
so replete. Before the rage of real-estate speculation
was at its height, and all through that wild fever, we had
known of *' White Rock City/'
Maps, executed in the highest style of the topographic
art, — displayed in hotel bar-rooms and other public
places, where congregated the thousand seekers after the
fortune that courted the happy possessor of valuable lots
and water privileges, — had announced its unrivalled situ-
ation and advantages. They depicted the magnificent
harbor, at the mouth of a large stream, into which steam-
boats were entering. Saw-mills were converting the for-
ests into houses. Around the Public Square clustered a
Court-house, churches, and other public buildings, not
omitting the inevitable Bank, and the air of prosperity
which pervaded the place was evident at a glance. Auc-
tioneers had sounded its praises, and struck off its lots,
at popular prices, to eager buyers. None of the rising
cities for which Michigan had become famous had so
wide a celebrity, and distributed stock so liberally.
And now we were to see, with our own eyes, this west-
ern marvel, or at least its ruins.
A large white boulder in the 'lake marked the entrance,
and gave name to this modern Karnac. We found the
entering river. It hardly admitted our log canoe. Har-
bor there was none. Churches, houses, mills, people,
— all were a myth. A thick wilderness covered the whole
site. Excepting Mr. Allen, it was 40 miles to the nearest
inhabitant. Where the Public Square had been depicted
stood several large beech trees. On one of these we
carved the names of our party, who were thus registered,
for the benefit of future visitors, as the first guests of the
^^ White Rock Hotel.''
Digitized
by Google
CANOEING IN A STORM.
89
It may serve more fully to show the adventurous char-
acter of our expedition, if I close this narrative by some
detail of our last day*s experience,— perhaps not a very
unusual one in canoe navigation. It may serve, too, to
illustrate the risks incurred by our daring chief ; some-
times too rashly, and, alas ! once too often !
On the night of October 11, we encamped 22 miles
from Fort Gratiot, and congratulated ourselves on the
near conclusion of our journey. For this there was*
reason, as our provisions were gone and the weather was
stormy. Here a hard wind detained us a day, and the
morning succeeding showed the waters risen several feet,
and rolling in huge breakers. To proceed by water
seemed impossible, but there was no travelled road to
Black River, and our provisions were exhausted. For
several days we had been on rations, and our poor canine
friend, who at the outset could not eat duck meat, was
glad to swallow a wing, — feathers and all. A council of
war decided to trust once more to the boisterous waves,
which our frail craft had hitherto borne us over in safety.
Raising the boat upon rollers, we packed in tent and
bags — the latter now heavy with " specimens '* — so ar-
ranged as to make three partitions, established Dash in
his place, while the rest took each his station. Thus ap-
pointed, we ran rapidly out into the water, leaped aboard,
and pulled from the land. The launch was neatly effect-
ed, but danger was ahead. Encountering the breakers we
at once shipped a sea, which completely filled the fore-
most division. This was occupied by the Doctor, who
cried, "We are swamped.'* But a pail stood ready to
each hand. The Doctor bailed while the others pulled
stoutly on their paddles, and we were soon beyond the
breakers. Return was now impossible. The temperature
Digitized
by Google
go A GEOLOGICAL EXPEDITION IN 1837.
was at freezing, and we received a ducking from many a
white-cap that chilled us to the marrow. Our little boat
was a morsel for the waves, and when one of those huge
swells — the three sisters, as sailors call them — lifted us
up, we seemed hurrying inevitably to the shore, and when
it receded its crest concealed everything but the sky
and the watery horizon. We could not raise sail without
danger of running under, and many a wave-crest must be
beaten back with our paddles, and our pails were seldom
idle.
But ** the longest day will have an end,** and after five
hours endurance, wet, exhausted and hungry, we landed
at the light-house. Thence we descended to Black River,
two miles below, where the village of Port Huron was in
the second year of its infancy. From here a steam-boat
conveyed us to Detroit.
Thus ended our adventurous journey, ** by flood and
fell."
I have only to add, that if my long-drawn gossip
has contributed to your entertainment, or given any
clearer impression of the Michigan of 34 years ago, it
will not have proved altogether idle.
Digitized
by Google
A TIME OF UNIVERSAL PROSPERITY,
AND WHAT CAME OF IT.
Digitized
by Google
i
" Few and evil were the days of this banking, and the history of the system
of wild-cat banks would be humiliating, but perhaps profitable, reading now,
although the sharpers and rascals of 1876 are undoubtedly more adept in
knavery than their ruder predecessors, and would not be proud of such
small swindling. The crash came as soon as the general business panic
began to spread through the Union ; and within five years after the State
was formed, the financial ruin of the people was complete." — Chief-Justice
Campbell, " Outlines of the Political History of Michigan," 1876.
Digitized
by Google
A TIME OF UNIVERSAL PROSPERITY, AND
WHAT CAME OF IT.*
WHILE the errors of the past constitute the
wisest lessons of the future, the following epi-
sode in Western history may be read with profit. The
story is not new, but may derive some additional interest
from the individual experience of the writer.
The years 1835, 1836 and 1837 were to Michigan one
of those ** periods of unexampled prosperity ** with which
our country has been periodically favored. In its char-
acter and results no better example has occurred in our
history. This prosperous condition had begun to mani-
fest itself in the extraordinary' demand for wild lands, and
in the sudden appreciation of the immense advantages
possessed by a great number of places in the ** West,*' and
particularly in newly opened Michigan, for the building up
of large cities. That the Peninsula possessed unequalled
*' water privileges '* could not be doubted by any one who
recognized its position on the map of the United States,
almost surrounded by the waters of the Great Lakes.
Interior lakes, too, were numerous, and large and rapid
streams everywhere intersected the land. At least this
was the case so far as the country was known, for the
Government surveys had extended over not more than
one-third of its surface. These surveys had opened to
sale, at the low price of one dollar and twenty-five cents
♦Published in the Magazine of Western History^ January, 1886.
93
Digitized
by Google
g4 ^ TIME OF UNIVERSAL PROSPERITY.
per acre, a most beautiful and varied country of " oak-
openings " and timbered lands, with occasional small roll-
ing prairies, all interspersed with lakes and streams.
What a mine of wealth lay in a few thousand, or even a
few hundred acres of such lands at the low price of a dol-
lar and a quarter per acre !
From the very beginning of the period we are consid-
ering, and even before, a steady stream, of immigration
had begun to pour into the territory. It consisted mostly
of people of means and respectability from the older
States, led by the prospect of cheaper lands. Wagons
loaded with household goods and surmounted by a live
freight of women and children — the men trudging on
foot — were constantly entering by the almost only door,
Detroit, in great numbers, bound for some paradise in
the new Eldorado. A curious spectacle at one time pre-
sented itself — literally a drove of men — Frenchmen from
lower Canada — taken on by an adventurer to be settled
upon the River St. Joseph, at the mouth of which, in the
olden time, their countrymen had built a '' fort " among
the savages. Each had his pack, bound up in a blanket,
upon his shoulders, and the baggage followed in a wagon ;
for the United States Government had opened a road in
that direction, leading from Detroit to Chicago.
Men who never before saw a wilderness were tempted
to set forth, on horseback and on foot, in the spirit
which prompted so many gentlemen adventurers, in the
early settlement of the New World, to swell the ranks of
the colonists — the prospect of speedy and golden fortunes.
The numbers that crowded to the search soon converted
the ordinary slow process into a race.
Three land-offices had been opened by the Government
in Michigan — one at Detroit, one at Monroe, another
Digitized
by Google
LOOKING LAND.
95
near the western extremity of the knewn portion of the
territory at Kalamazoo, then called Bronson. The strife
and eagerness which prevailed at these offices passed all
sober bounds. They were besieged long before the hour
arrived for opening; crowds of anxious faces gathered
about the doors and blocked up the windows, each eager
to make " entry " of some splendid tract of farming land,
or better still, some magnificent site for a town, before an
equally greedy speculator should discover a;nd pounce
upon the treasure.
One of these land-lookers, who had been for days trav-
ersing the woods and "taking notes," if he chanced to
fall in with some one who was suspected of having seen
the coveted tract, secretly hurried off, in the dead of
night, determined to steal a march upon the others and
secure the prize. Often, after an exhausting ride and a
still more tedious waiting for his turn, he obtained his
chance at the window, only to learn that a more wary ap-
plicant had been beforehand with him. What exultation
if he found himself in time ! What execration upon his
ill fate if too late !
At the hotels were gathered animated crowds, from all
quarters of the country, of speculators in lands. Every
one who had secured some fortunate entry was busily
proclaiming his good luck, and calculating his gains.
The less fortunate, and those who were unable to convert
themselves into woodsmen, were satisfied to take, the ac-
counts of others on trust, and buy at second hand, of
course at a very large advance, expecting in their turn to
realize a handsome increase.
Beautifully engraved maps of new city plots were exe-
cuted in all haste, on which the contemplated improve-
ments were laid down. Hotels, warehouses and banks
Digitized
by Google
96
A TIME OF UNIVERSAL PROSPERITY,
were here erected^ like palaces in fairy land ; piers pro-
jected into the harbors, and steam-boats were seen enter-
ing. Wherever a crowd could be collected auctioneers
were knocking down lots to eager buyers, and happy was
he who secured one with a "fine water privilege,*' at a
price a thousand fold beyond its first cost of a few days
before. Nor were these improvements all upon paper.
In an incredibly short time small clearings had been
effected, a town plat surveyed — often half a hundred miles
from the nearest actual settler — and shingle palaces arose
in the wilderness, or amid the burned stumps that were
left for time to remove. Prominent among these, and
often the only buildings erected preliminary to the sale
of lots, were a hotel and a bank.
At the admission of Michigan into the Union, in 1836,
the territory contained fifteen chartered banks, with a
population estimated at nearly one hundred and fifty
thousand. These banks were all authorized to issue
"currency.** Why should these few enjoy a monopoly
of so good a thing as money, which benefited all alike,
and of which there could not be too much ? Consequent-
ly one of the first acts of the new State government, March,
1837, was to pass a general banking law. Thus by a bold
stroke monopoly was abolished, while bill-holders were
made exceptionally secure by a pledge of real estate. Of
this everybody held large quantities, and nothing had
proved so convertible. Confidence in it was unbounded.
Of course every proprietor of a *' city ** started a bank.
These became so numerous that money was one of the
most plentiful of commodities. The new currency was
made redeemable in gold and silver, and every bank was
required to keep in its vaults thirty per cent, of its circu-
lation in the precious metals. When to these precautions
Digitized
by Google
FLUSH TIAfES,
97
was added the real estate, pledged for the redemption of
the bills, and the whole placed under the supervision of
commissioners specially appointed, and who were to visit
and examine the banks every few months, could reason-
able man ask for more simple security ?
The banks of Eastern States, also, had a large circulation
in the West, and they expanded to the full extent of their
powers. The effect of such rapid increase of the circulat-
ing medium was to enhance prices of all commodities, and
to stimulate speculation. Money became flush in every
pocket, and all who had "the fever** — and few had not —
were anxious to invest and own one or more of these
farms and city lots that were held at such high value, and
were making every holder rich. Poor women, who had
accumulated a little spare cash, widows and sewing girls,
were only too thankful when some kind friend volunteered
to put them in the way of realizing some such fortunate
investment. The southern counties of Michigan were
speedily bought up, and the Government surveys were not
rapid enough to satisfy the greed.
Stimulated by the abounding sunshine, the State, too,
had entered the arena, in its official capacity, and under-
taken a vast system of internal improvements, for which its
bonds were outstanding to the amount of five million
dollars. But already storm-clouds were gathering, which
were soon to darken the whole heavens. As a ship, which
for many days has sailed gallantly on its course under
favoring winds, with all of its canvas spread, is forced to
take in sail when a shift of the wind threatens a gale,
so the banks, which had so greatly " expanded ' ' in the
breezes of universal prosperity, found it necessary to
" contract *' at the first suspicion of a change. Suddenly
the storm fell. A^ the first demand to realize for their
Digitized
by Google
gS A TIME OF UNIVERSAL PROSPERITY,
bills in specie, the banks were compelled to call in their
circulation. As the whole amount of specie in the coun-
try was far below the amount of paper in circulation,
many banks broke under the large demand which fell
upon them as soon as the public became suspicious of
their ability to pay. All were forced to contract their
loans, and money was rapidly being called in, instead of
being liberally paid out as before.
Money speedily became " tight." As few banks were
able to sustain the pressure, it became necessary, in the
view of the public authorities, to exercise the power,
where it existed, to suspend specie payments. Accord-
ingly an act was passed to that effect by the State Legisla-
ture, which was summoned for that purpose by the gov-
ernor, June, 1837, only three months after the passage of
the general banking law. It was thus hoped to tide over
the pressure, which was believed to be but temporary.
Prior to the passage of this act, about twenty banks had
registered and gone into operation under the general law.
As the act did not repeal this law, many more took advan-
tage of the privilege afforded by it of issuing irredeemable
paper ; so that before the inevitable end came no less than
fifty banks were scattering their worthless notes as far
and as widely as means could be found to effect it. But
the end was close at hand. Prices fell with as magical a
facility as they had risen. The real estate security of the
new banks, which was supposed to be so stable, was sud-
denly found to be the weakest security possible. In the
matter of the percentage of specie required to be kept in
the vaults, it was found that the grossest frauds had been
practised. Kegs filled with nails and broken glass, and
having only an upper layer of coin, had been substituted
in many instances, and were passed as genuine. In other
Digitized
by Google
WILD-CA T BANKING. gg
cases, one institution loaned temporarily to another that
was about to receive a visit from the commissioners, and
the favor was reciprocated when its turn came. One by
one, in rapid succession, the banks toppled to the earth,
from which, like mushrooms, they had sprung, as it were,
in a night. They were known universally under the name
of " wild-cats.** The most worthless were styled " red-
dog.** The bills fell to a mere nominal value, or greatly
depreciated, as it became known that the real estate held
would suffice to redeem only a small fraction of the circu-
lation. Much of this was found to be of no value what-
ever, as it represented merely swindling operations. Many
a poor man thus lost all his available means of livelihood.
Many anecdotes were told of these hollow institutions,
and many a joke was perpetrated at their expense, which
would be laughable enough were there not, in sober sad-
ness, less occasion for mirth than for tears and curses. I
vouch for the authenticity of the following :
One of the Michigan banks had gained an unusual
share of notoriety, under the name of " The Bank of
Sandstone.** It was " located ** at a place of that name,
situated in the central part of the State, where quarries of
a fine grit-stone had recently been opened. These con-
stituted the entire commerce of the little burg, and the
solid corner-stone of the new institution, whose promises to
pay were in wide circulation* An old resident of Mich-
igan held a large quantity of these bills, and learning that
the bank was " broke,** came to my informant, in great
distress, for advice. He was advised to go immediately
to Sandstone and demand redemption, as it was under-
stood the bank had some means, and the usual way was
" first come, first served.*' The advice was followed.
The man, on his return, called on his adviser, who in-
Digitized
by Google
lOO ^ TIME OF UNIVERSAL PROSPERITY.
quired after his success, and was assured that it was quite
complete. " I presented my roll," said he, '[ and was paid
as follows: For every ten-dollar bill, a millstone; for
every five-dollar, a grindstone, and for every one-dollar
bill a whetstone ! **
The year 1838 saw as '* hard times '* in Michigan as the
two previous years had witnessed a seeming prosperity.
Men of supposed large wealth, and who owned thou-
sands of acres of wild lands, valued at hundreds of thou-
sands of dollars, were unable to buy provision for their
families, and knew not where to look for the supply of
their daily wants. Farmers had neglected to cultivate
their farms in the struggle to amass land. The new
cities, which the magic wand of speculation had created,
were left without inhabitants. Trade was paralyzed for
want of money, and prices fell below the old standard.
To add to the depreciation of real estate, a strong feeling
arose among the actual settlers against non-resident pro-
prietors. These were called "speculators,'* and many
contrivances were resorted to to throw on them the
burden of taxation. Thus, in opening new roads, the res-
ident was permitted to work out his tax, at an easy rate,
by an understanding with the overseers, while the law
compelled the non-resident to pay a higher rate in money.
Under the name of school-houses, large edifices were built
and used for town-meetings and religious worship. The
non-resident land-owner was charged with keeping out
settlers by raising the price of land, in forgetfulness of the
fact that the very tide of speculation had been the means
of opening up the country to future settlement. Land
which had constituted the sole wealth of thousands be-
came a drug. Large tracts were frequently abandoned to
the tax-gatherer for a sum which a few years previous
Digitized
by Google
HARD TIMES, xo\
would not have bought a single acre. The banks did not
outlive the destruction of the wealth they had fictitiously
created. In two years from the act which gave them
birth, it is believed, not a "wild-cat *' nor "red-dog" of
them all was in existence. But they left from one to two
millions of dollars of their worthless bills in the hands of
creditors. Four or five chartered banks only survived,
and they proved fully sufficient for the wants of the pop-
ulation for years to come.
The year following the crash of 1838, the writer had
occasion to visit the ruins of several of those renowned
cities that had flourished so magnificently — on paper.
One of these was situated on a small stream which dis-
charged into Lake Michigan. Most of the streams on
this side of the Peninsula have lakes near their outlets,
originating in the setting back of the water, occasioned by
the sand-bars at their mouths. These lakes are often
large and deep enough for very fine harbors, but which
can be made available only by the construction of piers.
The village of Port Sheldon was " located *' at the out-
let of one of these streams — the smallest of its kind, and
without depth of water sufficient for a harbor. But one
road led to it from the nearest and still distant settlement.
It was in the midst of a tall forest of pines and other tim-
ber, very few of which had been cut away. The clearing
disclosed a large frame building, handsomely finished out-
wardly, but a mere bam within, and by its side a smaller
one, decorated with Grecian pillars. These were the
hotel and the bank. And they were the only buildings
•in the place, if we except a few shanties scarcely decent
for the abode of the most poverty-stricken. The bank
had collapsed ; the hotel was without guests ; the splendid
bubble had burst, and its brilliance vanished suddenly
Digitized
by Google
102 A TIME OF UNIVERSAL PROSPERITY.
and forever. In 1865 the whole town plat, consisting of
two hundred acres of very poor land, was sold for a petty
sum. The long abandoned and desolate site, of which
its projectors had published with prophetic foresight so
many years before — " Nature seems to have done almost
everything for this point, and the time is at hand when
her eminent advantages will lift her to the first rank
among our cities of the lakes" — was now the owlish
abode of a solitary Dutchman.
Another of these town sites, which had made a great
noise, was situated near the mouth of Maumee Bay of
Lake Erie. It was on low, marshy land, which had been
regularly laid out in streets and some twenty or more
buildings erected. The high water of 1838 had converted
into a marsh the whole site. All the buildings were de-
serted and the city was without an inhabitant. Two of
the houses were pointed out — among the handsomest in
the place — that had been built by poor milliner girls, who
had invested in them all their earnings. They could not
be approached, except by boat. This was the Port of
Havre, the rival of its namesake, in the dreams of its
founders and of their credulous victims, for one short
year, before the waters of desolation swept away its
glories.
One of the first found and most famous sites was
"White-rock City.** It was upon the shore of Lake
Huron, at the mouth of a pretty rivulet. Maps of this
" city ** had been scattered far and wide, and lots sold
and resold at fabulous prices. These maps represented
a large and flourishing town upon a magnificent river.
Piers projected into the harbor, which was filled with
steam-boats, and it was evident that a thriving commerce
had begun. I visited this place, during a coasting voy-
Digitized
G 7^
I
REVERSES. 103
age, in the fall of 1837. The only approach was by the
lake, for it was far removed from any road and forty
miles from the nearest inhabitant, except a solitary back-
woodsman. A large boulder rock in the lake marked the
'* harbor.** The " river ** was insufficient for the entrance
of our log canoe. An unbroken and unsurveyed forest
covered the whole site. We could not find even a soli-
tary ruin standing alone, like that at Heliopolis, in the
Egyptian desert, to mark the place of departed grandeur.
At a few of the really " eligible ** sites thriving villages
have since sprung up, the Government having aided to
build harbors, or natural advantages existing. But most
of these town sites still retain their valuable privileges
unimproved, and their owners have either abandoned
hope, or continue to pay taxes on some undivided one-
hundredth part of a fractional ** forty,*' purchased at
city prices, that is not even marketable as farming land.
The financial reverses of 1838 were followed by another
calamity, which added greatly to the distress of the set-
tled population of the State. The season of 1839 proved
very sickly. Among the permanent improvements
made during flush times were numerous mills, almost
every one of which formed a nucleus for a settlement.
No labor or thought had been bestowed upon clearing
the stumps and fallen timber from the mill ponds, and
this proved a formidable source of malaria.
In the fall of that year I passed through many hamlets;
and even considerable villages, where a quarter part of
the population were down with. fever and ague. I had
often to ride miles beyond my intended resting-place, be-
cause at the tavern where I applied the family were too
ill to wait upon me. At others I was enabled to find
supper and a bed for myself, but had to seek accommo-
Digitized
by Google
i64
A TIME OF UNIVERSAL PROSPERITV,
dation for my horse where I could find it. Having my-
self had a touch of the ague, I carried a stock of quinine
in my saddle-bags. These old-fashioned appurtenances
sometimes caused me to be hailed as " doctor." On one
of these occasions, finding what was the medicine re-
quired, I did not hesitate to allow the mistake to go un-
corrected, made the professional visit, administered the
pills, but, undoctor-like, departed without my fee.
Reaching Monroe late one evening, I anticipated no
difficulty in finding comfortable quarters, for this place
was, in name, at least, a city, and second only in impor-
tance to Detroit. As I entered the street, I overheard a
conversation, in which occurred the not very comforting
remark — ** Tom, you must make the next coffin ; I have
worked myself almost to death at it the last week."
Even in this old city it was only after much trouble that
I succeeded in quartering myself in one place and my
beast in another.
Most persons only laughed at those who were so un-
fortunate as to be seized with *' fever and ager,*' as the
popular term was for this diresome disease, as if it were
matter of course that every one must have his turn at
shaking like a lamb's tail. The rival cities of Monroe
and Toledo were constantly bantering each other upon
the insalubrity of their neighbor's location. But this
year the subject was one almost too serious for joking.
Who has not noticed that we are often most inclined to
make merry when we have greatest cause for sadness?
So jokes carried the day. Saw-mills were spoken of as
driven by fever-and-ague power. Villages were told of
where the church bells were rung every half hour to
mark the time for taking the inevitable quinine. On
one occasion, a traveller is said to have entered a vil
Digitized
by Google
RESTORATION.
105
lage and searched in vain for a tavern. He found the
streets deserted and grass-grown. At last he followed
the one which showed the most marks of travel, and it
led him to — the graveyard.
Since that period a great change has taken place in
the salubriousness of the country, and, though intermit-
tent diseases continue to be a prevailing type, it is ac-
knowledged that Michigan has proved to be as healthy a
State as any in the Union. As great a change has taken
place in the face of the country. The fever of specula-
tion over, resident land-owners applied tl;iemselves dili-
gently to the cultivation of the soil. New settlers con-
tinued to pour in, though the stream was in part diverted
to territory nearer the setting sun, the discovery being
made that Michigan was too far east for emigrants
bound westward, ho ! The mania of speculation which
had been considered by the new settlers so serious a
drawback, proved a substantial benefit, from the numer-
ous and solid improvements it brought about in a very
brief time, that would otherwise have been delayed many
years. The hard times continued for almost a decade.
It was not until a general bankrupt law had wiped out
the load of debt which had overwhelmed a great part of
the country, and the sufferers, taught by sad experience,
had learned to pursue business in safer channels, that we
date the return of substantial as well as universal pros-
perity.
Digitized
by Google
Digitized
by Google
FRENCH HABITANTS OF THE
DETROIT.
Digitized
by Google
" Les Canadiens, c'est-^-dire, les Creoles du Canada, respirent en nais-
sant un air de liberte, qui les rend fort agreables dans le commerce de la
vie, et nulle part ailleurs on ne parle plus purement Notre Langue. On ne
remarque m^me ici aucun accent.
" On ne voit point en ce Pays de Personnes riches, et c'est bien dom-
mage, car on y aime k se faire honneur de son bien, and Personne presque
ne s' amuse k th^sauriser. On fait bon chere, si avec cela on pent avoir de
quoi se bien mettre ; sinon, on se retranche sur la table, pour etre bien
vltu. Aussi faut-il avouer que les ajustements sont bien k nos Creoles.
Tout est ici de belle taille, and le plus [beau] sang du Monde dans les
deux sexes; I'esprit enjoue, les manieres douces and polies sorit com-
munes k tous; et la rusticite, soit dans la langage, soit dans les fa9ons,
n'est pas m$me connue dans les Campagnes les plus ^cart^es." — Charle-
voix, Histoire de la NoHvelle France, 1720.
Digitized
by Google
FRENCH HABITANTS OF THE DETROIT *
Part !•
I HAVE undertaken to occupy your attention with a
subject in the details of which general history is very
meagre, namely, the character and habits of the first
colonists of Michigan.
From time to time many interesting items have been
given to the public by noted citizens, including some ** to
the manor born," but they are mostly of fugitive char-
acter, or are buried in the columns of old newspapers.
To these materials, scanty as they are, I am aware that
I can add but little that is valuable, out of the stores of
my own observation and research. Yet there are fields
not wholly gleaned, and if I have discovered any new
grains of truth, or can bind the scattered materials into
an acceptable sheaf, I may at least be excused from fol-
lowing where others have so worthily led.
Of the present generation how few appreciate the
character of the people who laid the foundation of our
beautiful city ; who for more than half a century con-
stituted the sole population of the Territory of the Lakes;
and whose descendants, whelmed in the overflowing tide
of Anglo-Saxons, still retain, to a good degree, their old
tongue, and somewhat of their ancient customs. But
these are undergoing a rapid change. They are des-
tined, at no distant day, to be absorbed into the general
* Read before the Detroit Pioneer Society, 1872, and published in the
State Pioneer Collections.
109
Digitized
by Google
I lo FRENCH HABITANTS OF THE DETROIT
element, and the peculiar features which characterized the
French of the olden times will soon be utterly obliterated
and forgotten.
Without going into historical detail, which would lead
into too wide a field, I propose to notice some facts of gen-
eral application, which will prepare us better to under-
stand the character and customs of those who claim the
honors of pioneers in the settlement of Michigan.
The story of the settlement of Canada by the French is
full of stirring incident, of marvellous adventure, — of life
amid deep forests, and upon the vast rivers and inland
oceans of our continent, — almost as wild as that of their
savage associates. It has been often told, and nowhere
with more fidelity and graphic power than in the capti-
vating pages of Parkman.
English, and sometimes American, historians are not
always just toward the race who first peopled the terri-
tories of New France. They notice the complete subjec-
tion and willing obedience of the French emigre to the
home government ; his recognition of the Indian claims,
and ready affiliation and sympathy with the savage
tribes ; and they compare with these, — unfavorably to the
Frenchman, — the energy, enterprise, and individual inde-
pendence which brought to our Atlantic shores the New
England immigrants ; which led them to subdue the wil-
derness, and have impressed their character upon the insti-
tutions and fortune of these United States.
The flourishing period of French colonization was that
of the long and brilliant reign of Louis XIV. In the
home country it was an age of corruption, of despotic arro-
gance in the high places of the kingdom, and of unreason- .
ing obedience on the part of those below. No successful
clashing had occurred between the ruling and the ruled —
Digitized
by Google
THE OLD REGIME. 1 1 1
between despotism and liberty — such as conspired to drive
the first English emigrants — pilgrims from arbitrary power
— to the wild shores of the New England in America.
Here, thrown upon their unaided resources, all the energy
of which the Anglo-Saxon nature is capable was called
forth to enable them to establish a home in the wilderness.
They struck at once upon the source of an enduring pros-
perity, the culture of the soil.
While New France was the cherished care of the Grand
Monarque, it did not escape the corruptions of that court
and age. The principles which lie at the base of success-
ful colonization were little understood, and ill applied.
Glory and gain to France, not the permanence and good
of the colony, were the objects sought. The French pio-
neer came with a purpose, beyond which neither he nor
his Government looked. This was not — ^with some excep-
tions— to found permanent communities, by the practice
of agriculture and the arts, but to establish and extend the
gainful traffic in peltries. The first French settlers were
communities of fur traders.
To the profitable traffic in furs the religious zeal of the
age added another motive, almost equally powerful, the
Christianizing of the native population. This was an aim
which — with all their religious fervor — did not inspire the
emigrants to New England. Equally intolerant with the
Catholic emigres, but without their enthusiasm, they gave
feeble encouragement to missions among the heathen
around them. In the eyes of most, the savages were a
race of heretics, to whom was denied alike the consola-
tions of the Christian faith and the benefits of civilization.
The spirit of freedom is not always winged with charity.
Strikingly in contrast was the conduct of their neigh-
bors of Canada, in the genius to plan and the courage and
Digitized
by Google
112 FRENCH HABITANTS OF THE DETROIT
endurance to carry out the most toilsome expeditions, for
founding missions in the wilderness. Though little re-
mains of the missions established by the Jesuits, their
long, unremitting and solitary labors, and severe sufferings
and martyrdom, have written their names in glory! His-
tory has nothing brighter on her records, than the deeds
of these Christian heroes.
" The order of the Jesuit,
In rigid compact firmly knit,"
is inseparably interwoven with the fortunes and fate of
the French Empire in America. Its character is well de-
scribed in the following graphic lines, from the poem
* Teuch sa Grondie,* by our fellow-townsman, the presi-
dent of this society, — Levi Bishop :
" A school of strictest self-denial ;
Obedient unto every trial ;
Invincible and calmly bold,
A social problem to unfold ;
In vigils long ; in rigid fast ;
Beneath the scourge in penance cast :
With constant, never-failing zeal
That all the woes of man can feel ;
With self-sustaining fervor blest.
That long devotions well attest ;
With deep enthusiastic glow,
That blazes on the polar snow ;
With master policy refined.
To rule the world of human kind ;
In closest league with royal state,
Wide conquest to accelerate ;
With grasp of universal plan.
Embracing every race of man :
Such was the order shrewdly sent.
To seize the western continent."
With such traits, unhappily, Jesuitism did not confine
Digitized
by Google
COLONIZA TION.
113
itself to the Christianizing of the Indians, but became inti-
mately associated with the political fortunes of the coun-
try, for evil as well as good.
In the genius -of discovery, in establishing depots for
trade and forts for protection, and in opening to the
knowledge of civilized man a world vast and unknown,
the French, too, were without a rival. The leading spirits
in these enterprises would have been men of mark any-
where. With what a handful of men they invaded the
savage wilderness! How indomitable their resolution.
How judicious their selections of sites for forts and towns.
How far-sighted the sagacity with which they secured to
France, as they had reason to believe, a mighty Empire in
the New World !
The great body of the colonists, it is true, were of the
lower orders, uneducated in independence, moral or polit-
ical. Many came as soldiers, and were induced to remain
as settlers. A few were from the gentry ; men who
claimed an ancestry, and had names of which even yet
their descendants are proud. No convicts were sent out,
and there were no drones. All were accustomed to seek,
and seldom failed to find, a living for themselves.
The colonization of " the Detroit,'* or Straits of Lakes
Erie and Huron, dates from the first year of the i8th cent-
ury, nearly two centuries after the discoveries of Car-
tier, on the St. Lawrence, and a century after the found-
ing of Quebec.
The object of Sieur de la Motte Cadillac, in the settle-
ment of Detroit, was not only to establish a military post,
which should overawe the natives, check the advance of
the English and Dutch, and secure the Indian trade, but
to found an agricultural community, and obtain a perma-
nent foothold upon the soil. It was a step further into
Digitized
by Google
1 14 FRENCH HABITANTS OF THE DETROIT,
the wilderness than any colony had yet ventured. It was
an intrusion into the stronghold of savage tribes, many
of whom were hostile to the French, and in the interest of
their enemies. It was within reach of the English settle-
ments, with which an eager contest had commenced for
the Indian trade of the lakes, and the vast country to
which these opened the gate.
A varied fortune awaited the new colony. From the
first there was strong opposition, from political opponents
of the measure, and personal enemies of Cadillac, among
whom the Jesuits were conspicuous, and those who were
interested in the older settlements. Nor was it easy to
distinguish between their allies and their foes in the nu-
merous tribes whose villages crowded closely about the
fort, and who beset the colony on all sides. No less
than four times, the destruction of the fort was the sub-
ject of conspiracies and machinations, urged on by rival
interests ; and for the first half century the security of the
peasantry was too precarious to permit extensive or suc-
cessful agriculture.
Hardly had the settlers begun to feel secure in their
possession, when, with the capitulation of Montreal (1760),
followed the downfall of the Empire of France in the
New World, and the transfer, almost without warning to
its inhabitants, of the sovereignty of Canada to its life-
long enemy — the English. The lilies of France were
never to float again triumphant upon these waters.
Thirty years later saw the flag of England lowered to
the Stars and Stripes of its rebel colonies. In less than
two decades more the Cross of St. George resumed its
sway over this region, for a brief period, to be again, for
the last time, succeeded by the triumphant banner of the
new republic.
Digitized
by Google
THE STRAITS,
115
Few people, and no portion of America, had, in so brief
a period, experienced so many and singular reverses.
None ever accommodated themselves more gracefully to
the mutations of their fate. In their own way they con-
tinued to prosper, and had lined the banks of the Detroit
with pleasant homesteads.
Little more than the third of a century has passed
since the writer's first acquaintance with the region which,
not many years before, the author of McFingal had de-
scribed as,
" Where Detroit looks out amid the wood,
Remote, beside the dreary solitude.*'
Making my abode in the country, at some remove from
the City of the Straits, — then boasting its 5000 inhabitants,
of many nationalities, — I found myself amid a people
mostly French, — the descendants of those who had braved
the dangers of the remote wilderness, in following the for-
tunes of Cadillac.
As yet the inroads of the Anglo-Saxon had but little
disturbed the quiet river settlements ; but a day of change
had arrived, which, in a very short time, was destined to
destroy this old-time character. Since that day the Arca-
dian simpHcity and content that had so long continued to
prevail, in spite of contending sovereignties, has yielded
rapidly to the restless energy of the invading Yankee ; as
did aforetime, to the conquering Briton, the dream of
French Empire in the New World.
While the colonists on the Detroit retained many of
the characteristics of their countrymen in the Old World^
modifications necessarily took place, in the adaptation to
so different an abode. Taking possession of a vast wil-
derness, families neither gathered into hamlets, as is the
custom of the peasantry of France, nor did they seek an
Digitized
by Google
1 1 6 FRENCH HABITANTS OF THE DETROIT.
independent existence, like the backwoodsmen of New-
England stock; but their dwellings — each on its own
farm — were in such close proximity as almost to consti-
tute a continuous village for many miles of river shore.
Originally motives of protection against the savages, and
afterwards those of social intercourse, led to this near
neighborhood.
The original titles to these lands were variously derived.
Of those below the city, as far as the River Rouge (3
miles), three are from grants of the Marquis du Quesne,
Governor-General of Louisiana and Canada — 1740; ten
from Marquis de la Jousire, vested with like powers —
1750. Ten others are from Indian deeds of gift, subse-
quent to the occupancy by the English — 1770 to 1780, —
confirmed by the British commandant. Few of the
French grants actually received confirmation of the King,
although this was required by the Copciume de Paris, which
was the law of the country. Permits to occupy were
sometimes granted by the French commandants. These
grants and rights of occupancy were confirmed by the
United States Government, early in the present century,
through a commission sitting at Detroit ; and upon these,
patents were issued. The tracts thus confirmed vary in
width from two to five arpents, and Were about eighty
arpents in length.^
I have heard old habitants say they could shout to
each other from their door-steps. And this mode of
telegraphic message, passing rapidly from house to house,
served the purpose of modern methods, in case of ap-
prehended danger, and even for social converse.
* The arpent is a measure of length, as well as area. It is a square
the side of which is 192 feet, three inches.
Digitized
by Google
FIRST SETTLERS.
117
An American backwoodsman thinks settlements crowd
too closely upon him — that he has not elbow-room enough
— if a neighbor establishes himself within a mile of the
spot which he has selected for his hearth-stone. A
Frenchman so situated would die of ennui. He must
have facilities for regular and frequent intercourse with
his neighbors ; and, as roads are execrable in a new
country, he best accomplishes his object by fixing his
habitations upon the streams — highways that nature has
created. The canoe is his carry-all, in which he and his
family move easily to and from even distant settlements.
What glorious opportunities for the gratification of these
desires was presented by those grand highways of the
New World !
From the water also came a large part of his food ;
for fishing and trapping were more favorite employments
than agriculture. The object of the first settlers being
the fur trade and Indian traflfic, these lakes and rivers
supplied a natural channel through which those opera-
tions were conducted.
It was along the chain of the mighty lakes and rivers
of our continent that France sought to maintain her
foothold in America, by the erection of forts at points
widely separated, but selected with wonderful foresight.
In the vicinity of, and under the protection of these,
were the early settlements made. As this protection
became less needed, as the Indian trade declined, or was
further removed, the peasant farmers made more distant
settlements. They retained, however, the practice of
inhabiting only the banks of streams accessible from the
great lakes. I know of no original French settlement
which is not so situated.
As a hunter the French settler had none of the re-
Digitized
by Google
1 18 FRENCH HABITANTS OF THE DETROIT
nown of the American backwoodsman, but to his skill
in trapping the great fur companies of Canada owed a
large part of the smaller peltries that were so considera-
ble a source of their revenues.
Like the beaver and muskrat, the Canadian not un-
frequently lived almost in the water of his favorite
streams and marshes, and built his cabin in a spot which
could be approached only by canoe. The dwellers in
habitations so little superior in architecture and site to
the houses which these ingenious little architects contrive
for their accommodation in their n^itive marshes, and
denoting so little degree of mental advancement, de-
served the soubriquet, bestowed upon them by the con-
temptuous Yankee, of " muskrat Frenchmen.**
We have seen that the kind of enterprise which charac-
terized the French emigre was very different from that
which marked the Anglo-Saxon settler ; which has con-
verted the wilderness into fertile fields, and, almost in a
single lifetime, constituted this nation one of the for-
midable powers of the earth.
After more than a century of settlement, the farms
along the Straits exhibited only a narrow strip of cultiva-
tion. This rarely extended half a mile from the water's
edge. From their doors the family had a view of the
untrimmed forest, where the deer roamed, and wild beasts
prowled frequently to the very barn-yards.
Even this limited extent of field received very imper-
fect culture. It was almost never manured, and so little
was high culture understood or regarded, that instances
are well known where farmers, whose manure heaps had
accumulated to an inconvenient degree about their
barns, adopted the most ready means of relief, by carting
the incumbrance on to the ice in winter. The offensive
Digitized
by Google
AGRICULTURE, , ig
material was thus washed away without further trouble,
when the ice broke up in the spring. I have it on un-
doubted authority, that in sotne cases even the bams
were removed, to avoid the piles that had accumulated !
This limited agricultural improvement did not originate
from the extreme subdivision of the land, for each propri-
etor possessed acres enough ; though his farm, in its pro-
portion of length to breadth, bore a resemblance to his
pipe-stem.
As this great national interest flourished so little under
the kind of encouragement bestowed by the French Gov-
ernment, it may be curious to compare the terms by
which grants of land were bestowed by the commandants,
with the tenure by which, under the fostering care of the
present Government, each householder may secure a
homestead. One runs in this wise : * The grantee was
bound to pay a rent of 1$ livres a year, in peltries, to the
crown forever ; to assist in planting a May-pole, on each
May-day, before the door of the mansion-house. He
was forbidden to buy or sell articles of merchandise, car-
ried to or from Montreal, through servants, clerks, or for-
eigners ; to work at the business of a blacksmith ; to sell
brandy to the Indians, or to mortgage the land without
consent of the Government. The Crown reserved all min-
erals and timber for military purposes. The grantor re-
served the right of hunting rabbits, partridges and pheas-
ants. All the grain raised was to be ground at the
manor windmill, where toll was to be given, according to
the x:ustom of Paris. On every sale of land a tax was
levied, and the Government reserved the right to take
precedence of any buyer, at the price offered.* Under
so many restrictions we see one reason why agriculture,
as an independent pursuit, should not flourish.
Digitized
by Google
I20 FRENCH HABITANTS OF THE DETROIT
Having spoken so disparagingly of French agriculture,
it is but just to observe that the Canadians were speedy
to adopt the superior implements and modes of cultiva-
tion used by the Anglo-Saxon settlers ; and the present
generation see little difference between the tools and the
methods belonging to the one or the other. But half a
century ago the old methods were still practised.
The cart was the universal vehicle for farm and family
use, wagons being unknown. The plough was of wood,
except the share. Its long beam and handles extended
ten or twelve feet, and it had a wooden mould-board. In
OLD FRENCH PLOUGH.
front were two wheels, also of wood, of different sizes : a
small one to run on the unploughed side, and a larger one
in the furrow. There were neither chains nor whiffletree :
oxen were fastened by a pole, which had a hinged attach-
ment to the beam. And very good, though shallow,
ploughing was performed by this rude but ingenious
implement.
Both oxen and horses were employed in the various
operations. The harness was very simple, and con-
structed of ropes or withes of twisted rawhide. No yoke
was used, but a rope of the kind mentioned was passed
Digitized
by Google
IMPLEMENTS. 121
around the oxens' horns, and they pushed with their
heads. It was maintained by those who employed this
seemingly singular method, that it was the most natural
and effective, and gave greater freedom of action to the
cattle. Possibly scientific agriculturists of the present
day may get a useful hint from the simple ideas of the
olden times.
The hoe vidiS a very heavy iron implement, having a long
shank. It was the same that was used by the Indians,
after the introduction of iron among them. The latter
never ploughed, and were ignorant of the method of
laying out the field, in parallel rows; hills of corn being
planted without regard to regularity, though at tolerably
FRENCH CARRY-ALL.
uniform distances ; and though the Frenchmen used the
plough effectively, their ordinary mode of planting com
was precisely that of the Indians.
The winter carry-all was a strong but narrow box,
placed upon runners, which spread widely and were iron-
shod. Sometimes these were adorned with fancy heads.
The thills, which were of hickory or ash, were so fixed as
to spring outwardly, and when the horse was harnessed
in, the ends were brought together and tied. The strain,
consequently, prevented any rubbing against the horse's
sides, and allowed a large liberty of action, which was of
great service to their keen trotters and pacers. It was
constructed for two persons only, although a seat for a
Digitized
by Google
122 FRENCH HABITANTS OF THE DETROIT.
third was sometimes placed in front. Horses were some-
times driven tandem.
The traineau was of rougher construction, made for
work, and the runners did not spread.
For summer pleasure-driving a few had the calhhe.
It resembled the modern chaise, and had a movable fold-
ing top.
The cart, of which I have made mention, is worthy
of commemoration. It was the common vehicle for all
FRENCH CALECHE.
classes, and even in the city, long after my arrival here,
was almost the only kind of carriage. It was a light two-
wheeled vehicle of the ordinary cart construction, and
the sides were protected by a low railing. The gentry
sometimes had chairs placed within, but commonly all
rode after a more primitive style, with a buffalo robe
only for seat. In this simple mode ladies were taken to
church, to parties and calls, or carted over the mud
wherever the roads were in a condition unfit for dainty
feet. The stiff clay soil which prevailed along the only
Digitized
by Google
VEHICLES. 123
road was often almost impassable for pedestrians. There
were no pavements, nor even that convenient Western
resource — plank walks. Nor was there a stone crossing,
nor a public hack in the city, thirty years ago.
Many were the curious scenes, and many the laughable
stories
" legends store
Of strange adventures, happed by — ^*'
mud : the suffocation of dogs ; the loss of shoes ; the
discomfiture of neat gallants, who ventured aid to the
weaker sex, in their rash attempts to cross a street. Even
those who were so fortunate as to obtain the use of a cart
PONY CART.
did not always escape the danger or the fun ; for some-
times the loosely-made lynch-pin gave out, when the liv-
ing cargo was unceremoniously dumped, of course in the
very deepest puddles. But such accidents in those days
were a subject of mirth rather than of chagrin. The
French cart was an article of real convenience, and well
adapted to the wants and tastes of the people and times.
It was a legitimate descendant of the cart of Normandy,
where, in recent times, I have been interested to see it in
common use, of precisely similar construction. Among
us its use is now almost confined to Canada. But now
and then one may be seen on the American side, on its
Digitized
by Google
124
FRENCH HABITANTS OF THE DETROIT
way to market, with fifty pounds of hay, or a quarter
cord of wood, drawn by a shag of a pony, whose back
reaches scarcely above the thills, and a little weazen-
faced Frenchman mounted on the top.
The stock of the French farmer consisted almost ex-
clusively of horses, — that dwarfed, hardy race, so well
known as Canadian ponies. These roamed at large, be-
yond the enclosures, picking up an independent living by
browsing. Even in the winter they seldom received any
but a stolen aid from the barns or stacks of their owners.
Each pony bore its master's initials, branded upon the
shoulder, and was caught and broken to the bit as he
happened to be wanted. Whether these horses were ob-
tained originally from the Indians of the plains, or had
any relationship with the Mexican mustang, seems not to
be determined. They were peculiar to Canada.
To some extent this mode of raising horses has pre-
vailed, even down to present times, in the towns adjacent
to Detroit, where the French are still a large element
in the population. They receive literally no care what-
ever, and roam in bands, scouring along the roads with
the speed of liberty, and often making night hideous with
the uproar. The following lines from a manuscript
poem by Hon. James V. Campbell (I hope his Honor
will pardon the theft), thus well describes these nightly
races through the town :
" Unchecked, with flying leap and bound,
The savage courser spurns the ground.
No venturous horseman leads the ranks,
No spur has galled their heaving flanks,
No master's hand has grasped the mane,
No champing jaw has known the rein ;
But in a countless host they press,
Free as the storm, but riderless ;
Digitized
by Google
ORCHARDS, 125
Compact as when an army's tramp
Bears down upon a foeman's camp ;
While the ground trembles, like the shore
Where foaming lines of breakers roar 1 '*
That the Detroit habitants of an early day were not
altogether open to the reproach of being neglectful hus-
bandmen, good evidence has come down to our own
times, in the fine orchards of apple, pear, and cherry
trees, that gave beauty and value to nearly every farm.
Our view of Canadian agriculture would be incomplete
indeed without a particular notice of these old orchards,
which are so distinguishing a feature in the river land-
scape, and in which the Canadians showed such com-
mendable enterprise.
Though many of the farms, so closely crowded along
the river banks, had orchards comprising several hundred
of these fruit trees, and few were entirely destitute, it is
singular that little is known of their history. In answer
to inquiries, old people will tell, that their ancestors
obtained the trees from Montreal, to which place they
were brought, at a still earlier day, from Normandy or
Provence; but they have no knowledge when, or from
which. The prevailing opinion is, that th'e seeds were
brought from France, and planted as soon as the first
permanent settlements were made on the Straits, about a
century and a half ago. The present generation remem-
ber well the days of their boyhood, passed beneath the
shade and in the enjoyment of the fruit of these trees,
which, in their recollection, were even then of great size.
Before further considering the mystery of their origin,
the character of these orchards claims our attention.
When we recognize that from the orchards on this river
have originated many noted kinds of apples, still exten-
Digitized
by Google
126 FRENCH HABITANTS OF 7HE DETROIT.
sively appreciated throughout the Northern States, it
will be apparent that they contained no wild or common
fruit. From hence were disseminated the famous " Cal-
ville '* — both red and white ; the " Detroit Red " — Roseau
of the French ; the " Pomme de neige/' or Fameuse — the
celebrated **Snow Apple" of America; all fruits that
have established a wide reputation. Besides these are
several not so well known, — the gray apple, russets,, noted
for long keeping ; pearmains, and others. Almost every
orchard had one or more of these noted kinds.
As cider fruit, these apples maintained a reputation
long after the influx of settlers from the Eastern States.
In this respect they were considered to surpass the apples
of New England, and to be second only to the celebrated
New Jersey product.
Forty years ago a few cider mills of the French con-
struction were in existence. They were quite unique.
The crusher was a large stone or wood cylinder, six to
eight feet diameter, and from six to ten inches thickness.
It turned on a wooden axis, fashioned to a centre-post,
and was carried around by horse-power. It ran in a
trough, dug out of a large tree, and put together by
sections. The press consisted of a long wooden lever,
acting upon a platform, and held down by tackling.
But the crowning glory of the French orchard was the
pear tree. Nearly every homestead possessed one, some
two or three, few exceeded a half dozen. Such was its
wonderful size and productiveness, that one specimen
usually amply satisfied the wants of a family.
These pear trees were, and still are, conspicuous objects
in the river scenery, and, for size, vigor and productive-
ness are truly remarkable. A bole six feet in girth, and
a height of sixty feet, are only common attainments.
Digitized
by Google
PEAR TREE^.
127
Many show a circumference of trunk of eight to nine feet,
and rear their lofty heads seventy, and sometimes eighty
feet from the earth ! They bear uniform crops, thirty to
fifty bushels being often the annual product of a single
tree. The fruit is of medium size, ripening about the end
of August, and though as a table -fruit superseded by
many sorts which an improved horticulture has intro-
duced, it still holds a fair rank, and in some respects is
not surpassed, if equalled, by any. The flesh is crisp,
juicy, sweet and spicy. For stewing and preserving it is
quite unrivalled. Individual trees differ a little in their
period of ripening, and in size and flavor of fruit, but the
variety is well characterized.
It is not a little remarkable that so little should be
known of the history of a tree of such extraordinary char-
acter. The earliest travellers from whom we have pub-
lished records, such as Charlevoix, Henry and Carver,
make none, or only casual mention, and give no clue to
their date and origin. The memory of the oldest inhab-
itant is only traditional in regard to them. Along the
St. Lawrence and about Montreal, whence these trees are,
by some, supposed to have been brought to Detroit, no
specimens exist, and the orchards are few and inferior.
In a hasty journey across Normandy, I saw many fine
and large pear trees, but I looked in vain for any of the
size or character which might be supposed to have origin-
ated the Detroit pear tree.
The prevailing opinion, that the pear and apple trees of
the Canadas originated from seeds brought from France,
is founded on the supposition that nursery trees could not
have withstood the long sea voyage of that period. Yet
this opinion cannot be accepted without hesitation. It is
a law well understood by fruit culturists, that trees raised
Digitized
by Google
128 FRENCH HABITANTS OF THE DETROIT
from the seed of these fruits tend to revert to their origi-
nal wild state. They are, with rare exceptions, inferior
to the cultivated varieties, and besides, are of almost as
many different sorts as the seeds which produce them.
Neither the pear nor apple trees of the French orchards
have the character of seedlings ; and the fact that almost
every orchard contained several trees of the same, and of
well-known kinds, militates against that supposition. On
the other hand, it is improbable that they are seedlings
raised here and grafted. For the art was then little prac-
tised in America, and not at all among the Canadians.
The Detroit pear tree is found also on the River Raisin,
at Monroe, and, so far as I am informed, exists nowhere
else in America. The trees on the latter stream were
planted by the early settlers there, many years after the
colonization of the Straits. In 1786, Col. Francis Navarre,
of Monroe, travelling on horseback from Detroit, carried
in his hand six or more trees, which he planted on his
farm. They attained large size, and are still bearing
immense crops. One of these is said to measure, at two
feet from the ground, nine feet two inches circumference,
and at four feet, separates into two branches, one of which
is seven feet four inches and the other five feet in cir-
cumference.
We have ample testimony to the great size of these
giant pear trees half a century ago. I am informed by
an old resident that in 181 2 or 181 3 he saw one cut down
which was in the way of a battery that was being built
just above the city, and which measured nearly two feet
diameter of trunk. Such a growth could hardly have
been acquired in less than a century.
I know not by what fatality, but our old French pear
trees seem destined to have no successors to their fame, as
Digitized
by Google
OLD PEAR TREES. I2q
though unwilling to survive the Americanization of the
race who nurtured and so long enjoyed their stately mu-
nificence. Appreciated by all, no one has thought of
continuing the species, or else all attempts have failed.
No young trees are to be found in the extensive planta-
tions of the present century, which includes so many
vastly inferior. None of the nurseries contain it. It is
even yet without a name in the dictionary of American
fruit trees. Still, however, the pear trees flourish, in a
green old age, while the apple orchards are fast disappear-
ing, partly from natural decay, but more perhaps from
neglect ; while many are annually swept from existence
by the relentless besom of modern improvement,'*'
The old pear tree belongs to Detroit and her old habi-
tants, and will perish with them, and with their home-
steads, which are so fast disappearing. Another half
century will see the last of those magnificent trees,
— the pride of the French orchard ; the mammoth of
fruits, — of which the world does not afford its equal !
Having given this imperfect view of French out-door
occupation, their social character claims our attention ;
but this demands a separate chapter.
* Since the above was written many of the pear trees begin to show decay
from old age, and are now in dying condition.
Digitized
by Google
>
H
O
(4
Digitized
by Google
FRENCH HABITANTS OF THE DETROIT.
Fart II.
FROM our consideration of the agriculture of the
early French settlers on the Detroit, we turn natu-
rally to their homesteads. We form some judgment of a
people from the houses they live in.
The better class of dwellings of the French habitants
were of quite a substantial character, considered as mere
timber structures. They were built of logs, squared and
covered \yith clapboards, and the roofs shingled with
cedar. They were of one or two stories, according to the
need or ability of the owner, but were never ambitious.
Generally they were one full story, the upper, or half
story, being chiefly within the roof, which was high, and
lighted by small dormer windows, projecting on the front
and rear sides. The entrance was in the centre, and a
hall ran from front to rear. A low and perfectly plain
veranda was another usual feature.
One of the oldest and most noted structures of this
class was the ** Cass house," which had been used by
several of the territorial governors of Michigan, and ex-
hibited many marks of the tomahawk and bullet, received
during the Indian wars. It stood on the Cass farm, and
was built of cedar logs, weather boarded ; about fifty feet
front and one story in height, with steep roof. A heavy
stone chimney rose out of the centre. The position,
when I first saw it, was- very beautiful. It was upon the
131
Digitized
by Google
132
FRENCH HABITANTS OF THE DETROIT
immediate bank of the river, here quite abrupt and high,
and shadowed with trees. No wharf or building ob-
structed the view, which commanded many miles of the
river channel and shores, and in the rear were smiling
gardens, and green slopes, between which flowed the
little river "Savoyard,** since diverted into a covered
sewer. This old mansion is still a comfortable dwelling,
or dwellings, on Larned Street. It stands but little re-
moved from its old site, but in front and in rear are
stony streets, thickly lined with houses. It is remote
from the present border of the river, and its time-honored
character is lost in new boards and white paint. Its age
is probably not less than 1 50 years.^
Another old domicile of the times of French regime —
the Lafferty house — stood half a mile below, and was
torn down in 1861, to give place to structures better
suited to the wants of modern times. It was erected in
1747, and was, at the time of its destruction, in excellent
preservation ; the timbers heavy and solid, and the stone
chimney exhibiting the large, open fire-place which
marked an age of hospitality and good cheer.
The Knaggs house, another well-known mansion, was
for several years my own residence. It consists of two
parts : one a low structure of a single story, with an attic,
and containing two rooms and a pantry. It is of un-
known age, and, like the Cass house, bears marks of
Indian outrages. The other portion is of comparatively
modern date, and consists of three considerable rooms,
separated by a central hall. It has a second half-story,
with dormer windows, and also windows in the gables,
and is throughout well finished. The front door is um-
* It was torn down in 1883, and the site occupied by brick buildings.
Digitized
by Google
HOMESTEADS, Ij^
braged by a square portico, which had seats, and com-
manded a delightful look-out upon the river, in its im-
mediate front. Both parts of the mansion are built of
squared pine timbers, clapboarded. The newer portion
had, when I took possession, a coat of paint, white in
front, red in the rear. If there had ever been paint on
the older portion it had long disappeared. The panes of
glass throughout all the windows were a curiosity, being
of a size entirely disused and no longer sold by dealers,
— six and a half by seven and a half inches.
I will allude to another, and one of the few French
mansions in the city, — the old " Campau house." It is
built upon the foundations of the original dwelling
burned down by the fire, which consumed the entire city
in 1805. Though an interesting relic, and a good speci-
men of its class, it belongs to the present century. It
will give a good idea of the contrast between the old
town and the new to state that the avenue of 120 feet
wide, upon which this house fronts, corresponds here
with the old St. Ann Street, on which it formerly stood,
but which (though the largest street of Old Detroit) had
a width of only 30 feet.^
Few such memorials of the " good old days ** now re-
main in this vicinity. But on the Canada side of the
channel comparatively little change has taken place in
the appearance and condition of many old French home-
steads. The village of Sandwich wears much of its old-
time character, and a dreamy quiet pervades the place,
worthy of Sleepy Hollow, and singularly in contrast with
the bustling, wide-awake activity which distinguishes
most American villages.
* This mansion, too, has disappeared, having (1885) given way to the
demands of another race and times,
Digitized
by Google
X
u
%
Q
<
en
W
C/}
t3
o
o
Ui
u
'34
Digitized by VjOOQIC
MILLS. 135
Most French dwellings had yards, fenced by pickets of
red cedar. These were often 10 or 12 feet in height, and
were intended and often served as a stockade for protec-
tion during the troubles of the war times, as well as
against wolves.
Some of these defences were standing along the river,
between my house and the town, as late as 1837, ^"^
consisted of very closely set, large and mostly round
posts, which were generally still sound. They were so
deeply sunk that the axe was used rather than the
spade, when their removal became expedient. Few if
any of these posts can now be seen in this vicinity, but
the stumps of many still remain, as landmarks of a past
age, below the soil, where the axe has left them.
Another feature of the old settlements has disap-
peared,— the windmills^ which once marked every few
miles of river shore, and were an animating part of its
picturesque scenery.
These institutions of primitive times were in full
operation, down to the stirring period of Yankee im-
provements,— (1836-37). Until then there were no flour-
ing-mills of any other description within many miles ;
though we have the authority of Judge Campbell for
stating, that a watermill was built as early as 1734, on
May's Creek, below the city, and one on Mill or Conner's
Creek, above, and that as late as 1830 one was standing
in ruins upon Bloody Run, where it is crossed by Jefferson
Avenue.
The windmills served sufficiently well all the needs of
the French era ; but with the advent of larger Wcmts,
more capable structures were demanded. The neglected
windmills fell to decay, and at the present time a few
only survive, in ruins.
Digitized
by Google
136 FRENCH HABITANTS OF THE DETROIT
From these brief notices of the dwellings of the French
land-owners it will doubtless, and with truth, be con-
cluded that the occupants lived in reasonable style and
comfort ; and that the personal appearance of our French
progenitors corresponded to the simple and comfortable
character of their homesteads.
The gentleman's dress of the olden time, in winter, con-
SUMMER COSTUME.
sisted of colored shirt, with vest, and pantaloons or leg-
gings. A belt or sash held up the trousers, and over all
was worn a capote, or heavy blanket coat, with a sack or
loose cap attached, that was thrown back or over the
head, as required. The latter extremity was bound with
a colored handkerchief, while the lower were protected
by shoe-packs, and sometimes by moccasons.
Digitized
by Google
COSTUMES. JJ7
On dress occasions the sash was richly ornamented
with beads, in the Indian fashion, and sometimes was of
wampum. It was spread widely over the body, outside
the coat, and tied behind, the ends hanging down two
feet or more. In warm weather, pantaloons were worn
without vest, and were sustained by a belt, generally of
SUMMER COSTUME.
leather. The feet were bare, and hats of straw completed
the covering.
The voyageurs, or boatmen, often wore shirts over the
trowsers, made of leather, with ruffles in the bosom, of
the same material. They had bright-colored cloth caps,
which hung over on one side and terminated with a
tassel.
Digitized
by Google
138 FRENCH HABITANTS OF THE DETROIT.
The dress of the women consisted of short gowns or
habits, falling no lower than the knee, and showing the
petticoats, which reached to the feet; and they had
ample straw hats. For cold weather they had fur hats
or bonnets. They received the fashions from Montreal,
but the changes were so slight, that probably less varia-
WINTER COSTUME.
tion had occurred in a century than takes place in the
costume of our modern belles in a single year. In fact,
the costume I have described continued almost un-
changed, from the earliest period, down nearly to the
time of my own personal observation. The straw hat
maintains its repute even yet, as a permanent and whole-
some style abroad, its merits having given it a wide adop-
Digitized
by Google
SOCIAL CHARACTER.
139
tion ; and it would be well if, in other particulars, the con-
venient fashions of our Canadian dames could be pre-
served.
The French people continued to preserve, down to a
very recent date, a good degree of their ancient character.
There was much of the **beau monde" at the rival but
neighborly cities of Detroit and Monroe, and a constant
WINTER COSTUME.
intercourse was kept up, until the preponderance of the
former city and the overwhelming influx of foreigners.
Amusements were of the social rather than literary
kind, and the social virtues never shone more brightly
among any people. Nor were these confined to their own
kini but were extended to the newly come, of whatever
nationality. The old habitants of the better class still
Digitized
by Google
I40 FKENCH HABITANTS OF THE DETROIT.
retain a vivid recollection of those happy days, and will
tell that no people ever enjoyed life so keenly.
During the winter — which comprised nearly half the
year — the settlements on the Detroit and River Raisin
were almost shut out from the Eastern world. River
craft were all laid up ; railroads were not in being ; and
travel to the nearest Eastern cities was a long and painful
journey. I have myself known Detroit to be without a
New York mail for more than two weeks at a time, and
have found it a week's journey, travelling by ordinary
stage, day and night, through Canada to Buffalo. This
was the season for French gayety and resource to display
themselves. No aid from foreign sources was needed
to make the winter pass pleasantly. And who could
surpass the French for parties, balls and merry-mak-
ings !
At these were gathered, especially, the young of both
sexes, who kept up, until a late hour in the morning,
that fascinating amusement of whose saltatory mazes a
Frenchman never tires ; and here were exchanged
glances from those lustrous black eyes, so suited to bru-
nette complexions, and which lighted up even the most
ordinary face, like native diamonds, sparkling through
their rusty covering. And, indeed, the demoiselles were
not to be despised for graces of face and figure; for
though the men mostly had long, thin visages, scarcely
in keeping with their fun-loving propensities, the girls
were both plump and handsome.
During the period of depression which followed the
speculations of 1836, when a general stagnation and
gloom overspread the whole land, there was no lack of
French gayety. In the winter of 1841, when times were
at their worst, this was manifested, even to an unusual
Digitized
by Google
AMUSEMENTS, I^I
degree, in numerous balls and other social gatherings.
With a characteristic tinge of superstition, the French
considered this unusual gayety ominous of approaching
war, or other calamity, and that they were impelled to it
by some secret and uncontrollable impulse. Perhaps
philosophy may find a more reasonable solution. I re-
late the fact only.
Sundays, as in all Roman Catholic countries, were
holidays, and were improved as such to much greater ex-
tent among the Canadians of half, or even quarter of a
century ago, than now, among their descendants. Pos-
sibly they were spent quite as innocently, though
more noise and hilarity prevailed. The parents and
daughters of the family travelled to church in sober
jog-trot style enough, in carts drawn by a single pony.
But the young men went mounted on their nags, and
returned in the grand style, racing, with whoop and
hurrah !
In winter these races were exchanged for trotting-
matches on the ice, in their light, home-made carry-alls.
Long and eager were the contests for superior speed and
skill. No docks and piers then interfered with this
winter use of the river, which was thus improved, from
the very heart of the city, down to and up the Rouge.
Many noted trotters and pacers are still to be found
among the keen, little, rugged breed of Canadian horses.
The example has not been lost upon the bloods of the
modern city, famous yet for fast nags and fast men.
A season of great excitement to the early settlers was
that of the white-fishing, which was confined to the late
fall months, commencing about the middle of October,
and continuing until very cold weather. Seines only
were used, and a feature in the river landscape, as
Digitized
by Google
142
FRENCH HABITANTS OF THE DETROIT
numerous and almost as atriking as the windmills, were
the reels, the platform and the fish-houses which per-
tained to the business.
This season was looked forward to with great interest
and pleasure, and was one of feasting and merriment, for
the fish were as abundant and cheap as the flesh was
admirable ; and for cooking these, as well as most other
natural products of river and forest, none could excel
the French. Although few engaged in the business —
for the market was limited — almost every farm front
was available. And truly it was an interesting and in-
spiriting spectacle ; — the boats leaving the shore with the
nets coiled on the stern, as the men pulled up the
stream, until, reaching the channel bank, the net was
dropped and the boat rowed rapidly back to the land, —
the floats following in a graceful curved line ; while often
a song kept time to the oars. Then as both ends were
draWn briskly in, to see the beautifully white and silvery
bodies glancing through the water, and finally tossed, all
glowing and active, on the beach ! White-fishing is still
pursued on the river, but the old-fashioned reel is to be
seen in but one place within the limits of the extended
modern city, — a place famous still for its fortunate
ground, — the Loranger farm.*
I cannot omit to mention a commendable trait in the
French character, — their early and sincere attachment
to the United States, and her republican institutions.
To be known as a Frenchman was to be known as a
patriot ; and in the times which tried men's souls — and
few parts of our country had more varied and bitter
experience — the Frenchman was always our reliable and
* Now for many years docked and abandoned to business uses.
Digitized
by Google
PATRIOTISM,
H3
active ally ; cool and unflinching in danger ; shrewd and
watchful when caution was most needed. If a man was
wanted for a dangerous enterprise, it was a Frenchman
who was chosen.
Few now survive of the old habitants who were inter-
ested and intelligent witnesses of General Hull's sur-
render of the fort of Detroit, and with it of the whole ter-
ritory of the North-west, to the British arms ; and the
rapid succession of events has almost crowded out the
recollection. But when I first came to reside here, the
feeling of indignation was still fresh and warm, though
more than twenty years had elapsed since that event.
And it would have been a vain attempt to convince one
of those who witnessed and entered into the scenes and
feelings of those times, that the act was one of mere tim-
idity and weakness, and not of downright treason.
Among the many interesting reminiscences of that
period which have been collected and published in news-
papers from time to time by an honored citizen and
friend (now, alas! departed — Judge Witherell), I am
pleased to find honorable mention of Captain Whitte-
more Knaggs, the patentee of the old farm to whose
proprietorship I had the honor to succeed. As the
record is illustrative of my theme, I make no apology
for copying the following anecdote of my predecessor
in the now peaceful homestead :
*' Captain Knaggs was a firm and unflinching patriot, in
times when patriotism was in demand, — during the war of
1812. He was one of the Indian interpreters ; spoke
freely six or seven of their languages, besides the English
and the French, and possessed great influence with
several warlike tribes. On the surrender of Detroit to
the enemy he was, by the British commandant, ordered
Digitized
by Google
144 FRENCH HABITANTS OF THE DETROIT,
to leave the country, and did so, of course, but joined the
first corps of our army that advanced towards this fron-
tier. He acted as guide to the division under General
Winchester, and was at the fatal and bloody defeat of our
troops at the Raisin. The British Indians discovered
him after the surrender, and determined to kill him.
There happened to be present, among the enemy,, an
Indian whom Knaggs had often befriended in former
years ; this Indian resolved to save him at every hazard,
but the savages would not listen to him ; they were not
yet fully gorged with blood. Nothing daunted, however,
the brave red warrior placed himself between Knaggs
and his foes, and for some time kept them off ; they
pressed on, however, and, as a last resort, the brave fellow
seized Knaggs around the waist, kept his own body be-
tween him and the enemy, and kept whirling around, and
so prevented the oft-repeated blows of the tomahawk
and war-club from taking effect on the victim's head, until
he succeeded in getting him in the midst of a number of
horses that were harnessed together. Here they struck
under at his legs, and over their backs at his head ; he,
however, avoided the blows, till a British officer interposed
and saved him. After escaping innumerable dangers and
death, from the white and red warriors, he departed this
life in peace, about 1827.
" On the day of the surrender of this post, Knaggs' dwell-
ing was sacked by the savages ; his furniture hewed and
hacked to pieces, and all that was valuable to Indians
was carried off. Mr. Knaggs had succeeded in saving a
few blankets, and they had many wilcj ponies in the bush.
During the year succeeding the surrender, in 1812, and
while Knaggs was yet absent, very many of our people,
soldiers and citizens, were brought in as prisoners by the
Digitized
by Google
CHAR A CTERISTICS,
145
Indians, from the frontiers of Ohio, etc. Poor creatures
were they, some wounded, many sickly, and all nearly
naked, bare-headed and barefooted, the personification
of misery and want, — compelled to follow their savage
captors around the streets, and to sleep on the bare
ground, in their smoky and filthy tents, or under the
open sky.
" The compassion of our citizens was deeply excited, and
every effort was made in the power of a plundered and
impoverished people to ransom the suffering captives.
Mrs. Knaggs, among others, parted with horses, blankets,
and nearly everything that she had saved from the pil-
lage of her home, to purchase the freedom of the pris-
oners."
The mother of Captain Knaggs, a lady eighty years of
age, was compelled to /ide from Monroe to Detroit, on
a traineau, on the ice, thinly clad, in the most severe
winter weather. When asked why she did not freeze,
she replied, " My spunk kept me warm."
I do not mean to say that there were no exceptions to
patriotic conduct among the French. During the war of
1812 there were some who were suspected, and not with-
out reason, of giving aid and comfort to the enemy.
These excused their conduct on the pretence of fear of
the Indians, who, especially after the defeat at the Raisin,
were patrolling the country, in hostile bands, and com-
mitting many savage atrocities.
James, a brother of Captain Whittemore Knaggs, re-
sided at the Raisin. Some of his neighbors were strongly
suspected of favoring the British, if not of consorting
with them and their Indian allies. Against these the
indignation of James was aroused, and he did not hesi-
tate at open accusation. A Mr. Lasselle was one of the
Digitized
by Google
146 FRENCH HABITANTS OF THE DETROIT
supposed culprits, and though he declared that his adhe-
sion to the enemy was only feigned, for the protection of
his family, James Knaggs would by no means admit the
justice of his plea. Meeting him some time after the
massacre, Lasselle offered his hand, which Knaggs scorn-
fully refused, saying, ** I don't shake hands with traitors.*'
James was at the battle of the Thames. He saw
the shot fired by which Tecumseh was killed, and was
one of two Frenchmen who brought off Colonel Johnson,
wounded, from the field.
Among a people so circumstanced as were the early
settlers on these Straits, it may be imagined that schools
did not receive a large degree of patronage. Few chil-
dren learned to read and write ; but the catechism was
taught by the priests, and the pious art of telling their
beads.
At every few miles was to be seen the little chapel,
surmounted by bell and cross, and sometimes a tin
cock ; and in the open space in front was often erected
a tall wooden cross, which on Corpus Christi and other
festival days was crowned with flowers, and became the
goal of a long procession of the young people.
But, though good Catholics, the Canadians were not
bigots. Their religion was simple as their tastes, and
suited to the light-hearted gayety that was so promi-
nent a characteristic. I speak in the past tense, because
within the last quarter of a century many changes have
taken place, mainly through the disturbing elements that
have poured in around them.
In spite of defective education, such is the native
force of the French character that I have known, among
the present generation, many a hard-working and success-
Digitized by
Google
EDUCATION.
147
ful farmer, and an industrious and really accomplished
mechanic, not one of whom could read or write.
I should do injustice also to the merits of our old hab-
itants if the conclusion was left to be drawn from the
above observations, that neglect of education was uni-
versal. This was not the case. There were schools at
Detroit, besides the Sunday-schools, in the olden times ;
and the labors of good Father Richard, in this direction,
were appreciated, and are well remembered by many still
living among us.
The very Rev. Gabriel Richard, for many years a priest
in this community, had the entire respect, confidence and
affection of the whole people, and was the first represent-
ative to Congress from the Territory of Michigan. At
the commencement of the present century there were
schools under his encouragement, if not due to his efforts,
not only in the town of Detroit, but at Grand Marais,
at Springwells, and at the River Huron. At " Spring
Hill ** — a mile below the town — P^re Richard had estab-
lished, not only an academy, but a printing-press. It
was the first one that was set up in the territory, and
here was published the first book printed in the North-
west.
In regard to these schools, the following pertinent
facts are gathered from a quaint memorial, addressed by
the reverend father to the then legislative authority of
Michigan. It bears date Oct. 18, N. S., 1808.
We learn from it, that " three of these schools are
kept by the natives of the country, of whom tow \sic\
under the direction of the subscriber, have learned the
first rudiments of English . and Latin languages, and
some principles of Algebra and Geometry, so far as to the
measurement of the figures engraved on the tomb of the
Digitized
by Google
148 FRENCH HABITANTS OF THE DETROIT.
immortal Archimides/' Also, that in the Academy at
Detroit " there are better than thirty young girls who are
taught, as at Spring Hill, reading, writing, arithmetic,
knitting, sewing, spinning, etc. In these two schools
there are already three dozen of spinning-wheels and
one loom, on which four pieces of linen or woollen cloth
have been made this last spring or summer.'* I note
this for the benefit of modern schools for young ladies,
where the piano is so often thumped. It is pleasant to
know that the ears of our neighbors of a century ago
were more agreeably entertained with the music of the
spinning-wheel.
At this same Academy of Spring Hill — the memorial-
ist goes on to say — "the number of the scholars has
been augmented by four young Indians, headed by an
old matron, their grandmother, of the. Pottawatamies
tribe. Five or six more are expected to arrive every
moment.**
We are also told, that " to encourage the young
Students by the allowment of pleasure and amusement,*'
he had sent " orders to New York for a spinning-machine
of about one hundred spindles, an air-pump, an electrical
apparatus, etc.,*' and "a few colors for dyeing the stuff
already made or to be made in his Academy.*' Take
note of that, ye modern educators, who are in pursuit
of sources of '* pleasure and amusement " for the young
people ! V
As a further memento of those times I add — verbatim
et literatim — the concluding appeal of the Memorialist,
asking that " for the encouragement of Litterature &
Useful arts, to be taught in the same Academies, one of
the 4 Lotteries authorised by the Hon. Leg. on the
9th of 7ber, 1806, may be left to the management
Digitized
by Google
LANGUAGE AND HABITS, I^g
of the subscriber, on conditions that may appear just
& reasonable to the Board.'*
A word about the language used by the French Cana-
dian. It is generally believed that this has become so
corrupted from the pure Parisian as to constitute a
patois, so abominable as to be with difficulty understood
by one skilled in the standard tongue of the Academy.
The truth is, this so-called /^/^/.y is the old French tongue,
continued almost unchanged, like the manners and
habits of those who use it ; while the language of culti-
vated France has undergone many modifications.
It is satisfactory to find these observations upon the
French character confirmed by an early authority.
Charlevoix, who was at Quebec in 1720, says: **The
Creoles of Canada draw in with their native breath an air
of freedom, which renders them very agreeable in the
commerce of life. And nowhere in the world is our lan-
guage spoken in greater purity. There is not even the
smallest foreign accent in their pronunciation." He
describes them also, as " gay and sprightly, rusticity
being unknown, even in the remotest parts.**
I have alluded to one trait, in which the French
emigres differed widely from the English and Spanish
settlers in America, — their friendliness towards the abo-
riginal inhabitants. This kindly disposition was appre-
ciated by the Indians; so that the two races, whenever
they fairly understood each other, lived in peace
together.
I am not aware that intermarriages were very frequent,
or that this relationship was often entered into by the
peasantry of this part of Canada. It was common
enough at the remoter posts, down even to times with-
in my personal knowledge. The Indian trader, whether.
Digitized
by Google
I50
FRENCH HABITANTS OF THE DETROIT
Frenchman, Scotsman or Yankee, prompted partly by
interest, usually took to himself an Indian wife. At
such places as Mackinaw and Sault Ste. Marie, half-breeds
were quite numerous, as they had been at Detroit at an
earlier day. The class known as voyageurs — the cour-
eurs de bois of the older times — had become, to a very
considerable extent, of mixed blood. The licentious
lawlessness of those wild-wood rangers was not only
well-known, but was a subject of much complaint at a
very early day. Certain it is, that in many points there
was greater assimilation between the natives and the
people from France, than was the case with the emi-
grants from any other civilized country.
In several excursions which I made, between 1836 and
1840, in the wilderness portions of Michigan, and along
the large streams and channels, it was not uncommon to
find the solitary lodge of a Frenchman, with his squaw
wife, and sometimes two wives, and a troop of half-
breed children. They lived more like Indians than
white people, associated chiefly with them, and de-
pended upon fishing.
The class of men known as coureurs de bois, or voya-
geurs, was extinct at Detroit some time before my ac-
quaintance began with the country and people. But at
Mackinac and .on Lake Superior these found some-
'what of their old employment, and retained a good
degree of their ancient character. They manned the
" Mackinac barge ** and the canoes of the fur traders
that still plied along the northern waters of the Hud-
son's Bay Company.
A wild-looking set were these rangers of the woods
and waters ! The weirdness was often enhanced by the
dash of Indian blood. Picturesque, too, they were, in
Digitized by
Google
VOYAGEURS,
151
their red flannel or leather shirts, and cloth caps of some
gay color, finished to a point, which hung over on one
side, with a depending tassel.
They had a genuine love for this occupation, and
muscles that seemed never to tire at the paddle and
oar. From dawn to sunset, with only a short interval,
and sometimes no midday rest, they would ply these
implements, causing the canoe or barge to fly through
the water like a thing of life ; but often contending
against head-winds, and gaining but little progress in a
day's rowing. But how sweet was the rest, when a favor-
ing breeze sprung up, enabling the little craft to carry
sail. Then in came the oars, and down lopped each
mother's son, and in a few minutes was in the enjoy-
ment of a sound snooze.
The morning and evening meal consisted, almost in-
variably, and from choice, of bouillon^ — a soup made
from beans, peas, or hulled corn, with a piece of pork
boiled in it, and hard-bread or sea-biscuit. To the
Northern voyageurs, rations were generally served out
of one quart of hulled corn and half a pint of bear's
grease or oil, this being the daily and only food. The
traveller, Henry, says (1776) : ** A bushel of hulled corn
with two pounds of fat is reckoned to be a month's subsist-
ence. No other allowance is made, of any kind, not
even salt, and bread is never thought of. The difficulty
which would belong to an attempt to reconcile any
other men than Canadians to this fare seems to secure
to them and their employees the monopoly of the fur-
trade." As late as the end of the last century, Detroit
was one of the principal depots for provisions, and fitting
out for the Indian trade ; and here, particularly, the corn
was prepared, hulled, boiled, and mixed with fat, for the
voyageurs.
Digitized
by Google
152
i^RENCH HABITANTS OP' THE DETROIT
After supper, pipes were lighted, and, seated on logs
or squatted around the camp-fire, they chatted until bed-
time. This came early and required little preparation.
To wrap a blanket around the person, placing coat or
shoe-packs beneath the head, and a little greasy pillow —
the only bed that was carried — constituted the whole
ceremony ; and speedy and sound was the sleep, beneath
the watchful stars.
The labor of the oar was relieved by songs, to which
each stroke kept time, with added vigor. The poet
Moore has well caught the spirit of the voyageurs' me-
lodious chant, in his ** Boat-Song upon the St. Law-
rence." But to appreciate its wild sweetness one should
listen to the melody, as it wings its way over the
waters, softened by distance, yet every measured ca-
dence falling distinct upon the ear.
These songs are usually half ballad or ditty, and love,
of course, the main theme. They express the natural
feelings of a people little governed by the restraints of
civilization. Here is a specimen, which I have pre-
served. The words were sung by one of our party, and
all joined in the chorus.
LA JEUNE SOPHIE.
La jeune Sophie Mais ce vous etre belle,
Chantait I'autre jour, Ce n*est pas de jour ;
Son echo lui repet^, Ce n'est que vos yeaux
Que non pas d'amour Qui bris ^ la chandelle.
N'est pas de bon jour. Mais ce v.ous, etc.
Je suis jeune et belle, Unisons ensemble, —
Je vieux m^ engage Son cour et le mien, —
Un amant fidele, Pourquoi tant le defendre,
Je suis jeune, etc. Puis quMl s'amaient bien ?
Unisons, etc.
Digitized by
Google
BOAT-SONGS, 1 53
' Point temps de badinage, La jeune Sophie,
' Envers mon amant, Chantant T autre jour, etc.
f Car il est jaloux : [Repeat]
Tout lui port embrage.
Point temps, etc.
Sometimes the bon vivant is predominant, as in the
following rude song :
Mon pere a fait bati maison,
^ Ha, ha, ha, frit \ Thuile,
Sont trois charpentiers qui 1^ font,
Fritaine, friton, fritou, poilon,
Ha, ha, ha, frit ^ I'huile,
Frit au beurre i I'ognon.
Sont trois charpentiers qui la font,
Ha, ha, ha, frit a Thuile,
Qu* apporte tu dans ton giron ?
Fritaine, friton, fritou, poilon.
Ha, ha, ha, frit ^ Thuile.
Qu* apporte tu dans ton giron ?
, Ha, ha, ha, frit i Thuile,
C'est un pit^ de trois pigeons,
Fritaine, friton, fritou, poilon.
Ha, ha, ha, etc.
^ C'est un p&t^ de trois pigeons,
Ha, ha, ha, frit k Thuile,
Assieds-toi et le mangeons,
I Fritaine, friton, fritou, poilon,
Ha, ha, ha, frit i Thuile,
Frit au beurre et ^ Tognon, etc., etc.
^ These boat-songs were often heard upon our river,
and were very plaintive. In the calm of evening, when
sounds are heard with greater distinctness, and the
harsher notes are toned down and absorbed in the pre-
vailing melody, it was sweet, from my vine-mantled
' porch, to hear the blended sounds of song and oar,
• " By distance mellowed, o*er the waters sweep."
Digitized
by Google
154
FRENCH HABITANTS OF THE DETROIT.
To my half-dreaming fancy, at such times, they have as-
sumed a poetic, if not a supernatural character, wafting
me into elf-land, on wings of linked sweetness.
" Some spirit of the air has waked the string ;
'Tis now a seraph bold, with touch of fire,
And now the brush of fancy's frolic wing."
At Other times these sounds harmonize with scenes
that are still more inspiring. Seldom have I witnessed
a more animating spectacle than that of a large canoe,
belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company, manned by a
dozen voyageurs, — the company's agents seated in the
centre, — ^propelled with magic velocity, as if instinct
with life, every paddle keeping time to the chorus that
rang far and wide over the waters !
But times have changed, and with them have passed
from our midst the voyageur and his song. French
gayety is rapidly ebbing into more sober channels.
Even the priests have set their faces against balls and
merry-makings !
As I call up these reminiscences, with the same noble
river in my view, I listen in vain for the melodies which
were once the prelude to many joyous hours of early
manhood. But instead, my ear is larumed by the
shriek of the steam whistle and the laborious snort of
the propeller.
All announce that on these shores and waters the age
of the practical, hard-working, money-getting Yankee^s
upon us ; and that the careless, laughter-loving French-
man's day is over!
Digitized by
Google
THE NAMING OF LAKE STE. CLAIRE.
Digitized
by Google
On the 1 2th August, 1879, at Grosse Pointe, where the Lake Ste. Claire
begins to narrow into the Straits, or River Detroit, a celebration took place.
The occasion was the Second Centennial anniversary of the discovery of the
lake, and the bestowal of its name, by Robert Cavelier, Sieurde la Salle,
commander of the "Griffin," the first sailing vessel that ascended the lakes.
The programme of the exercises contained a wood-cut of the " Griffin,"
from a sketch by his Honor, Judge James V. Campbell, and an announce-
ment as follows :
Regatta, with Aquatic sports ; Music ; Prayer by Father De Brouex, in
French ; Historical Address, by Bela Hubbard ; Song, " Men of ye Olden
Time," by D. B. Duffield, Esq. ; Poem, " Legend of L'Anse Creuse," by
Hon. J. V. Campbell ; Brief Addresses ; Music ; Fireworks.
All which came off duly and pleasantly, under the skilful leadership of
Hon. G. V. N. Lothrop, president of the day.
The Address was as follows :
Digitized
by Google
THE NAMING OF LAKE STE. CLAIRE.
HISTORICAL ADDRESS.
IT IS good for us to look back into the past. The
custom of celebrating the anniversaries of events that
have had important influence upon a nation's history,
or the welfare of mankind, is justly honored in the ob-
servance. That which we are met to commemorate has
remained unhonored for 200 years. Yet two centuries
ago to-day occurred an event which has mightily in-
fluenced the destinies of our race and proved an epoch
in the history of this continent ! It was the launching at
Niagara and the arrival at this Point of a little vessel —
not so large as many of our pleasure yachts — but the
precursor of a long line of craft, of every size and char-
acter, which, passing through these waters, has swollen
into a commerce that has become the wonder of the
world.
I have undertaken to relate the story of this achieve-
ment and of the naming of Lake Ste. Claire, in the
default of those whose superior local knowledge and
research would have entertained us with ** Outlines'* of
far greater interest and value. I propose to engraft
upon the story of the " Grifiin '* some memories of the
extraordinary man with whom the conception originated.
Of all whose names are associated with enterprise and
discovery in New France, the Sieur de la Salle is the
most illustrious. The history of his various undertak-
ings is drawn mainly from the writings of Hennepin,
157
Digitized by
Google
1 58 THE NAMING OF LAKE STE. CLAIRE,
Joliet, and Membre, and the details have been collected
into a fascinating volume by Parkman. I trust that a
brief recital will not be uninteresting. He was of an
honorable family, a burger of Rouen, where he was born
in 1643, and named Robert Cavelier, better known as
the Sieur de la Salle, from the name of his estate near
Rouen. He was educated among the Jesuits, but,
preferring science to theology, and being of a daring
spirit and eager for adventure, he sailed for Canada —
that paradise of adventure — being then twenty-three
years of age.
According to an unpublished memoir, we first find him,
in 1669, making his way with a Seneca guide to the Ohio,
which he descended as far as the rapids at Louisville.
Here, abandoned by his men, he retraced his steps
alone. The following year, according to the same
authority, embarking in a canoe on Lake Erie, he
reached the Straits of Detroit, coasted lakes Huron and
Michigan, and descended the Mississippi to the 35th
degree of latitude. Assured that the Father of Rivers
discharged not into the Gulf of California, as had until
then been supposed, but into that of Mexico, he re-
turned to provide means for more extended exploration.
Unfortunately, La Salle's journals, and a map which he
is known to have, made, and which existed in 1756, are
lost. If the accounts be correct, these would have given
to the world the first knowledge of the Ohio, if not of
the Mississippi.
It is certainly known that the latter stream was explored
in 1673 by Father Jacques Marquette, accompanied by
Louis Joliet, an adventurous merchant, and the subse-
quent associate of La Salle. These did not, however,
go far enough to solve the problem of its terminus.
Digitized
by Google
FIRST VISITS TO THE STRAITS.
159
That these straits were visited by the white man at
a much earlier period is matter of history. The usual
route of the French from the lower settlements to their
missions and trading-posts on the upper lakes was by the
Ottawa, being the most direct route. Champlain him-
self had in 161 1 and 161 2 ascended that river as far as
Lake Huron. There he visited the country of the Sacs,
near Saginaw Bay, returning by way of the straits and
Lake Erie, as is shown by his book published at Paris
in 1632. Accompanying La Salle's first expedition
(1669) were two priests of the order of Sulpitians — Dol-
lier and Galinee — who, on arriving at Niagara, were di-
verted from their purpose, and resolved to carry their
spiritual succor to the Pottawatomies of the upper lakes.
After various misadventures, resulting in the loss of a
great part of their baggage, including the altar service —
a mishap they attributed to the malice of the devil —
they reached the Detroit in the spring of 1670. Here
they relate : " At the end of six leagues we found a very
remarkable place, in great veneration among all the
savages of these regions, because of an idol of stone
which nature has formed there, to which they say they
owe the good fortune of their navigation on Lake Erie,
and which they propitiate with presents of skins, pro-
visions, etc." The stone was hideously painted, and
bore a rude resemblance to humanity. They were con-
vinced that this was the devil, to whom they owed their
shipwreck. The relation proceeds : " I leave you to
think whether we avenged on this idol (which the Iro-
quois had greatly recommended us to honor) the loss
of our chapel. We also attributed to it the scarcity of
provisions we had been in up to this time. In fine, there
was not a person whose hatred it had not incurred."
Digitized
by Google
l6o ^^-^ NAMING OF LAKE STE, CLAIRE.
The priest tells us that he consecrated one of his axes
to break this stone god ; then " having lashed two
canoes together, we carried the fragments to the middle
of the river, so that no one should hear of it again."
" God,** he says, " immediately rewarded us for this good
action, for we killed the same day a buck and a bear."
This place being, as the narrative tells us, ** full of the
lodges of those who had come to render their homage to
this stone,*' it seems incredible that such a deed could
be done in the very presence of its savage worshippers,
if it were indeed a manitou. Whether the savages were
restrained by the audacity of the act, or the huge pro-
portions of one of the reverend friars, or whether they
attached less importance to the " idol ** than these zeal-
ous iconoclasts supposed, does not appear. Sacred
stones were not uncommon in these parts. I have seen
several such altars, sometimes in the most wild and
lonely situations, invariably covered with bits of tobacco
and other petty gifts, which cost little sacrifice.
Several years had passed since these adventures, but La
Salle had lost neither energy nor purpose. Means only
were lacking^ But he had rich relatives, and he was
aided, so far as authority could go, by the most energetic
and astute governor that had yet administered the affairs
of Canada. Together they planned a post on Lake On-
tario, far beyond the settlements of the St. Lawrence,
which might overawe the Iroquois and turn to France the
stream of wealth that was inuring to the Dutch and
English from the fur trade. Twice La Salle visited
France, where his influence at court obtained for him
permission to pursue his plans at his own expense for
five years. He received from the king a patent of no-
Digitized
by Google
LA SALLE AND HJS PLANS. igi
bility and a grant in seigniory of Fort Frontenac, as the
new post was called.
But the ardent nature of the man was not content with
the prospect of fortune now secured. To him it was
only a base for operations of vaster extent and bolder
enterprise. The object which he had in view was most
comprehensive. If the project of a passage to China,
across the continent, proved delusive, he would anticipate
the Spaniards and the English in their occupation of the
great West. He would colonize it with Frenchmen, de-
velop its resources, make friends of the Indian tribes,
and, by controlling the mouth of the Mississippi, secure
an outlet for a vast trade in the future. As necessary to
his scheme he proposed to build a vessel for the naviga-
tion of the lakes, above the Niagara, where only canoes
had been seen before, sufficiently large to carry the ma-
terial needed for so vast an enterprise. In the corps or-
ganized for this expedition were two noted men, after-
wards famous in Canadian annals. Henry De Tonty,
his lieutenant, was a young Italian officer who had lost a
hand in the Sicilian wars, and whom political troubles
had driven to the New World. For the lost member he
had substituted one of iron, which gained him the sobri-
quet of the " iron hand.'* It was symbolic of his indom-
itable character. The other adventurous spirit was the
bold, audacious, and hardy friar, P^re Louis Hennepin,
who had more taste for wild and romantic travel than for
the spiritual part of his mission. He became the liisto-
rian of the expedition, but is too little trustworthy, and
is inclined to magnify his own exploits at the expense of
others of greater merit.
The place where was built the first vessel that sailed
the upper lakes is the mouth of a small stream, the Cay-
Digitized
by Google
1 62 THE NAMING OF LAKE STE. CLAIRE.
uga, about six miles above the cataract, on the west
side of Niagara River. Hennepin says: "Most of the
Iroquois were gone to wage war on the other side of
Lake Erie," so, though exposed to occasional alarms,
the party were in little danger. Two Mohegan hunters
prepared lodges and supplied game. The vessel was
finished early in the spring of 1679. She was, according
to Hennepin's first account, of about forty-five tons bur-
den. He afterwards reports it as sixty tons, which is
much more probable, considering the number of men and
munitions she carried. Accompanying Hennepin's vol-
ume is an engraving representing her in an unfinished
state. The drawing made by Judge Campbell and printed
on the programme of to-day's exercises, gives a clear
idea of its character. It was a two-masted schooner, but
of a fashion peculiar to that day, having double decks,
and a high poop projected over the stern, where was the
main cabin, and over this rose another and smaller
cabin, doubtless for the use of the commander. The
stern was thus carried up, broad and straight, to consid-
erable height. Bulwarks protected the quarter deck.
She bore on her prow a huge figure, skilfully carved, in
imitation of an heraldic monster — the arms of Count
Frontenac — ** and above it an eagle." This, in the repre-
sentation, adorns the top of the stern. La Salle bore no
good-will to the Jesuits, who hated him, and he often
boasted that he would make the " Griffin " fly above the
ravens', meaning that he would triumph over the black-
coats. The ship " carried five small cannon, three of which
were brass, and three harquebusses, and the rest of the
ship had the same ornaments as men-of-war use to have."
" It might have been called," adds the historiographer,
'' a moving fortress." In fine, it *' was well equipped with
Digitized by
Google
THE FIRST SAIL-VESSEL.
163
sails, masts, and all other things necessary for navigation,'*
besides arms, provisions, and merchandise.
The previous autumn La Salle had sent fifteen men up
the lakes to trade for furs, and open his way to the Illi-
nois. He also despatched Tonty to the mouth of the strait
to intercept these should they be returning. Then with
much difficulty the vessel was urged up the two and one-
half leagues that remained between the building site and
THE "GRIFFIN."
the lake. Onthe 7th of August the thirty-four voyageurs
embarked, spread their canvas to a favoring breeze, and
having sung Te Deum, set forth on their voyage. The
ship proved a good sailer. On the nth they entered "a
strait thirty leagues long and one broad," called in the
language of the French, " the Detroit," where they were
joined by Tonty, and the next day reached the beautiful
expanse which spreads before us.
Digitized
by Google
1 64 THE NAMING OF LAKE STE. CLAIRE,
Tradition says that on reaching the lake they were
wind-bound for several days, and this is rendered proba-
ble by the fact that they did not reach Lake Huron until
the 23d. Here, too, let us stop, and inquire whence was
derived the name which the lake bears. On Champlain's
map (1632) no name appears. Sanson's map, published
officially 1656, calls it **the lake of salt waters; " Huron
being designated at that period as " le mer douce," or the
fresh-water sea. Galinee, the hero of the stone idol,
who passed here nine years before, says, "We saw no
mark of salt in this lake." The notion probably or-
iginated from the brackish springs which exist at the
mouth of the Clinton River. Hennepin tells us that
"the Iroquois who pass over it frequently, when upon
their warlike designs, call it Otsi-Keta." It bore, also,
according to Judge Campbell, the Indian names of Kan-
dekie and Ganatchio. Many suppose that the lake was
called after Patrick St. Clair, who was lieutenant-gov-
ernor at Mackinaw in 1783. But this is altogether too
modern.
It was a custom of French voyageurs in new regions
to bestow upon any prominent feature of the landscape
the name of the saint to whom the day of the discovery
was dedicated in the church calendar. There was a saint
who bore the present modernized name, and who was
one of the headless saints, a martyr to his virtue, but his
calendar day is November. The saint whose name was
really bestowed, and whose day is August 12, is the female
** Sainte Claire," the foundress of the order of Franciscan
nuns of the thirteenth century, known as " Poor Claires."
Clara d'Assisi was the beautiful daughter of a nobleman
of great wealth, who early dedicated herself to a relig-
ious life and went to St. Francis to ask for advice.
Digitized
by Google
LADY CLAIRE.
165
On Palm Sunday she went to church with her family
dressed in rich attire, where St. Francis cut off her long
hair with his own hands and threw over her the coarse pen-
itential robes of the order. She entered the convent of
SanDamiano in spite of the opposition of her family and
friends. It is related of her that on one occasion, when
the Saracens came to ravage the convent, she arose from
her bed, where she had been long confined, and placing
the pyx, which contained the host, upon the threshold,
she kneeled down and began to sing, whereupon the
infidels threw down their arms and fled. Sancta Clara
is a favorite saint all over Europe, and her fame in the
New World ought not to be spoiled — like the record
of the dead in a battle gazette — by a misspelt name I
The interest of the subject will, I know, with my
present auditors, pardon the introduction of a few
further researches into the history of the Lady Claire.
She was one of the most celebrated foundresses of orders
in the Roman church. Besides the Clarisses, instituted
in 1212, she is said to have founded the Capucines, the
Annonciades, the Cordolieres or Gray Sisters, the Nuns
of the Ave Marie and of the Conception, and the Recol-
letes. At a time when all the communities were extort-
ing from the popes the authorization to possess prop-
erty, she solicited from Innocent IV., in favor of her
order of Franciscans, the privilege of perpetual poverty !
F. Way, in his work on Rome, published in 1875, says:
" Sancta Clara has her tomb at the Minerva, and she
dwelt between the Pantheon and the Thermae of
Agrippa. The tenement she occupied at the time of her
decease still exists, but is not well known. In a little
triangular place on or near Via Tor. Argentina, lodged
the first convent of the Clarisses. If, crossing the gate-
Digitized
by Google
1 66 ^-^^ NAMING OF LAKE STE. CLAIRE.
way, you turn to the left of the court, you will face two
windows of a slightly raised ground floor. It was there
Innocent IV. visited her, and there on the I2th August,
1253, listening to the reading of the Passion, in the
midst of her weeping nuns, died the first abbess of the
Clarisses and the founder of 4000 religious houses.**
We are not told with what imposing ceremonies the
christening was performed, but surely some inspiration
was derived from the beautiful scenes of nature through
which the voyageurs had just passed, which then sur-
rounded them, and which to our eyes this day are no
less lovely and inspiring. The natural beauty of the
region lying between lakes Erie and Huron had been
recorded by all the early travellers, with words of admira-
tion. Many of the islands were low, and some of the
river margins scarcely above the water. But all was
green and peaceful. Dark forests extended to the river
edge, and many a tall monarch of the wood waved its
gigantic arms over the brink, and was reflected in a
glassy surface which no tide or flood ever disturbed.
The marshes were luxuriant with wild rice, that fur-
nished a sumptuous repast to a great variety of birds
and water fowl, and even a welcome supply to the
Indians. Occasional villages and bark wigwams enliv-
ened the shore, surrounded with gardens and corn fields,
and the most elevated points were crowned with burial
mounds. Most of the shores had high banks and were
covered with timber. Especial notice is bestowed upon
Grosse Isle, and forest-crowned Isle au Cochon — Belle
Isle— lay like an emerald gem, in its setting of bright
waters.
The choniclers all allude to the abundance of wild
game and fruits. There were " apples as large as the
Digitized
by Google
EARLY CHRONICLERS.
167
Pommes d'Api/' or Lady Apples, and nuts "like
moderate sized oranges.*' La Hontan says '* the pears
are good but rare.*' The apples were probably crabs,
though one writer speaks of the trees as set methodi-
cally ; but who can tell us what were the pears ? Can it
be that the famous French pear trees, whose origin no
man living knows, existed here as natives at that day?
The beauties of the passage filled our voyageurs with
rapturous delight. Hennepin records the loveliness of
the shores, the prairies, and the forests. The ** Griffin **
was covered with game and fruits which had been
gathered in great abundance and with little effort. The
fruit consisted of chestnuts, walnuts, and butternuts,
apples, pears, plums, and grapes ; the game of deer and
many smaller animals, and flocks of swans, ducks, and
turkeys, and they had feasted on the meat of a bear
they had killed. The Father adds, "They who shall
have the happiness some day to inhabit this pleasant
and fertile country will remember their obligation to
those who first showed them the way.*'
The chronicles are silent as to Indian settlements on
the Straits, which is not singular, considering that they
seldom recorded such things unless there was special
occasion. The white occupation followed closely upon
this period. A fort was established, as we know, near
where Port Huron now is, in 1687 \ and it would appear
from a memoir of the Sieur de Tonty, then on his way
down from the Illinois, that something of the kind ex-
isted in the same year between lakes Erie and St. Claire.
He says: ** We came on the 19th of May to Fort Detroit.
We made some canoes of elm, and I s^nt one of them
to Fort St. Joseph on the high ground above Detroit,
thirty leagues from where we were, to give the Sieur
Digitized
by Google
X68 "^^^ NAMING OF LAKE STE. CLAIRE,
du Leet (who commanded there) information of my
arrival." Twenty-two years after the visit of the. " Grif-
fin *' the first colonization was begun in this region, at
the place which now monopolizes the name of " Detroit."
Le Ditroity or the Straits — under which name the
French included the entire passage between lakes Erie and
Huron — was visited by Charlevoix in 1720, who thus
records his opinion of the country. ** Above the Isle
of Sainte Claire the Detroit widens and forms a lake,
which has received its name from the island, or which
has given its name to the latter. It is about six leagues
long by as many wide in some places. This is pro-
nounced the most beautiful part of Canada, and truly,
judging by appearances. Nature has refused it nothing
which can constitute a charming country; low hills,
prairies, plains, old forests, streams, springs, rivers, all
are so good of their kind, and so happily assorted, that
one knows nothing further to be desired. The lands
are of admirable fertility. The islands seem to have
been placed with a view to charm the senses. The
river and the lake are full of fish, the air pure, and
the climate temperate and very healthy.*'
The many beautiful homes we see around us to-day
show how amply these favorable judgments of the early
chroniclers have been confirmed and illustrated by those
to whom the inheritance has fallen.
I shall follow very cursorily in the path of La Salle
and his party. The " Griffin," which hitherto had been
favored with prosperous winds, encountered off Saginaw
Bay a furious storm, which sorely tried the skill and
courage of the voyageurs. Nor did it calm until they
had called upon St. Anthony of Padua— the patron of
mariners— to whom, says Membr6, ** they made a vow,
Digitized
by Google
FATE OF THE ''GRIFFIN."*
169
which delivered them by a kind of miracle." Hennepin
narrates that during the height of the gale " everybody
fell on his knees to say his prayers and prepare for
death, except our pilot, whom we could never oblige to
pray, and he did nothing all the while but curse and
swear against M. de La Salle, who had brought him
thither to perish in a nasty lake and lose the glory he
had acquired by his long and happy navigation of the
ocean." At length, escaped the tempest, they reached
Point St. Ignace, the centre of the Jesuit missions and
the Indian trade.
A very slight sketch must here suffice us of the
further fortunes of La Salle ; and the fate of the " Grif-
fin " will command our interest. Brave, adventurous and
successful as were the early explorers of New France,
there was but small recognition of their services, either
by the Government at home or in the New World. A
deep jealousy of La Salle's designs pervaded the fur
traders as well as the Jesuits, and made them hostile to
his enterprise, since it threatened injury to their private
gains. Had Jesuit and Recollet, merchant and officer,
constituted a band of brothers, all would have gone well
for France in the New Wofld. Unhappily it was far
otherwise. The clashings of interest could never be
reconciled, and it often happened that the meetings of
white men in the far wilderness were those of enemies
in disguise. Of the fifteen men sent out by La Salle
the year before, a few who remained faithful had col-
lected at Green Bay a store of furs, which he resolved to
send back with the vessel to satisfy his creditors, while
he, with his stores, his Mohegan, and his three friars,
should continue up Lake Michigan. After completing
her errand the " Griffin *' was to return to St. Joseph,
Digitized
by Google
I70 "^^^ NAMING OF LAKE STE. CLAIRE,
where a fort should be built, and preparations made for
the descent of the Mississippi.
But the "Griffin** was never heard from again.
Whether she foundered or was burned by the Ottawas is
not known. La Salle believed she was treacherously-
sunk by the pilot to whom he had entrusted her. What
ever was her fate, the salt-water hero of the storm on
Lake Huron was doomed to perish in " the nasty fresh
water " which he so detested.
The loss was vital. Yet the brave-hearted cavalier,
undeterred by a misfortune so great, pushed on to
Illinois, where he built a fort. Leaving Tonty and
Hennepin to occupy the fort, and in the midst of a sav-
age winter, he made his way back on foot to his far dis-
tant Fort Frontenac. The path led through wilds un-
known, across the Michigan peninsula. He crossed the
Detroit on a raft, and almost alone, for his men were
worn out, reached his seigniory. Thence he hurried to
Montreal, giving no rest to his ardent spirits and iron
nerve. Here the intelligence met him of the desertion
of his men and the destruction of his fort on the Illinois.
Tonty and Hennepin must be rescued. With their aid
and with fresh supplies he • might yet save the vessel,
which was on the stocks, and make good the descent of
the Mississippi. He returned to Ottawa and reached his
destination, only to find a solitude. The dreaded Iro-
quois had driven off or murdered his friendly Illinois,
the plain was strewn with mangled corpses, and no tid-
ings could be learned, of Tonty.
We are told of new schemes which now occupied his
fertile brain, among which was that of a grand confed-
eracy of the tribes against the common foe. We are
told of the recovery of his two companions in the spring,
Digitized
by Google
DISCOVERY OF LOUISIANA,
171
with whom he paddled back to Fort Frontenac ; of his
commutation with his creditors, by the loss of half his
seigniory, and of his third journey to Illinois to recover
the lost ground. Abandoning the building of a vessel,
and dragging their canoes on sledges, they embarked,
and on the 6th of February, amid floating ice, issued
forth on the majestic Mississippi. With his small party,
and amid new and strange scenes, they reached the out-
let of the great river, and on the 9th of April, 1682,
La Salle planted his standard and took possession of
Louisiana, " in the name of the most high, mighty, in-
vincible, and victorious prince, Louis the Great, by the
grace of God king of France and Navarre." What did
not such zeal and enterprise deserve of his country, for
which he had obtained an empire so boundless? But
what availed this success to a prince who, though so
" high and mighty," had not contributed a sou to the
enterprise, and who could write thus to the governor of
Canada : " I am convinced, like you, that the discovery
of the Sieur de la Salle is very useless, and that such
enterprises ought to be prevented in future, as they tend
only to debauch the inhabitants by the hope of gain and
to diminish the revenue from beaver skins ! *'
Need I recount how this great man, ignorant of the
change in the Government and filled with bright visions
of the future, retraced his steps to the Illinois, where his
influence had assembled thousands of Indian warriors
friendly to his cause , how that here he learned not only
that the new governor, Le Barre, turned a deaf ear to
his appeals, but that under a frivolous pretext he had
seized and wasted his property and reduced him to
poverty, and how nothing remained but for him to again
Digitized
by Google
172
THE NAMING OF LAKE STE, CLAIRE,
cross the seas and lay his cause before his sovereign in
person ?
It must suffice me to say of this personal appeal to
the throne that truth and eloquence once more gained
for La Salle a just recognition of his great services.
Having thus recovered his influence he was enabled to
carry out a scheme worthy his character and fame, — the
' colonization of Louisiana. He was granted four vessels
and one hundred soldiers, besides ship-builders, mechan-
ics, and laborers, and many so-called ** gentlemen of con-
dition.'* Poor material these for a colony in the wilder-
ness, but a more prudent addition was made in a num-
ber of girls, who joined the expedition with the prospect
of becoming wives to the colonists. Alas, that of this
well-concerted project we have to record only the most
bitter failure ! From lack of harmony between the
leader and his captains, ignorance of the coast, or design
on the part of the pilot, the fleet sailed past the mouths
of the river, and in attempting to land the store-ship was
wrecked, with the loss of most of her cargo. The naval
commander spread his sails and returned to France, leav-
ing on a wild and desolate shore a forlorn hope, — the in-
fant colony who were to conquer for France a territory
half as large as Europe. After a winter spent in vain at-
tempts to find the fatal river a settlement was begun.
But two years of suffering and disappointment reduced
their number to less than one-fourth. La Salle now
attempted to make his way, with a trusted few, across
the country to the river and thence to Canada, to obtain
succor for the colony. With this party were two men
who had sworn vengeance upon their leader. On the
morning of May i6, 1687, they killed his three servants,
including his faithful Indian hunter, and as La Salle him-
Digitized
by Google
DEATH AND CHARACTER OF LA SALLE,
173
self approached where the murderers lay, a bullet pierced
his brain and he fell dead.
Thus perished at the age of forty-four years a man of
whose like there have been few examples. In his active
nature and determined energy a close resemblance may
be found in our own youthful Houghton. He had spent
twenty years in incessant activity, and in pursuit of his
grand scheme, as he himself says, had " traversed more
than 5000 leagues of new and unknown territory, among
savage and cannibal nations, often on foot, through snow
and water, without escort, without provisions, without
bread, without wine, without recreation, and without
repose." And now nothing remained of all his labors.
It would be too much to say that no selfish motive
actuated him. He hoped to make for himself an abid-
ing fame, and, doubtless, he looked for the time when
wealth and power should reward his toils. But he was
essentially a man whose heart was in the work of discov-
ery, and in this field there is no brighter name in Ameri-
can annals.
It is for us, who share the benefit of his life, to per-
petuate his memory. But where or how shall we erect
his monument ? A few years ago there was in the city
of Detroit a street called by his name ; a petty tribute,
but even this has disappeared in the demand for a new
nomenclature. Another street, recently opened in the
western suburb, alone bears evidence of his honored
memory. Let me add a suggestion. On the outer
walls of the beautiful edifice which Detroit has erected
as her hotel de ville, or city hall, are four niches de-
signed for statues. They are now empty. Let them be
filled with marble images of men whose names and fame
are indissolubly associated with this region.
Digitized
by Google
174
THE NAMING OF LAKE STE. CLAIRE,
Foremost will be that of the Sieur de la Salle. An
engraved portrait of him is given by Hennepin, from
which his features may be modelled ; and we have a Suf-
ficiently accurate description of his tall figure and manly
and somewhat austere bearing. On the occasion of his
visit with the " Griffin " he donned, when it seemed advis-
able to make some display, a scarlet coat with gold trim-
mings. The dress of a gentleman of that period in
Canada is well known, and there should be no difficulty
in sufficiently distinguishing him.
The other pedestals may be filled with men of noble
fame, whom France gave to America, and who belong to
us. I need only mention De la Motte Cadillac, the
founder of Detroit, — a portrait of whom is known to
have existed, for which search is being made, and (as
Hon. Levi Bishop assures us) with promise of success.
The devoted and self-sacrificing Jesuit, P^re Marquette,
than whom none is more deserving ; and lastly, though
of later time, the Catholic priest whom all loved, and
who first represented this territory in Congress, Father
Richard. Of him an excellent portrait is extant. The
flowing yet diverse robes of the two priests will contrast
strikingly with the rich official vestments of the noble-
man and the courtier.
And now, as we look back upon the past that we have
recalled, with its wild surroundings, its hopes, and its
disappointments, and note the changes which two cent-
uries have wrought, let us take heart, and hope that the
future of this great country will be more glorious than
the discoverer's wildest dreams 1
Digitized
by Google
LA SALLE.
(Statue— City Hall, Detroit, 1884.;
175
Digitized
by Google
Digitized
by Google
INDIANS IN MICHIGAN.
Digitized
by Google
" During the course of a long life, in which I have made observations on
public affairs, it has appeared to me that almost every war between the
Indians and Whites has been occasioned by some injustice of the latter
towards the former. It is indeed extremely imprudent in us to quarrel
with them for their lands, as they are generally willing to sell, and sell such
good bargains ; and a war with them is so mischievous to us, in unsettling
frequently a great part of our frontiers, and reducing the inhabitants to
poverty and distress, and is besides so expensive, that it is much cheaper
as well as honester to buy their lands than to take them by force." — Letter
^Benjamin Franklin, 1787.
Digitized
by Google
INDIANS IN MICHIGAN.
THOUGH it is many years since the last individual
has disappeared of the several Indian villages that,
on the first establishment of the French, peopled the
shores of the Detroit, there yet remain in Michigan small
remnants of tribes belonging to several nations.
At the establishment of the present State Government,
in 1836, the most numerous of these tribes or nations
was the Chippewas, — or Ogibways, according to their
language. They claimed a large portion of the .country
bordering upon Lake Superior, and were scattered
through the valleys o£ the Grand and Saginaw rivers.
There were small bands of Ottawas and Pottawatomies
living upon reservations in the western part of the penin-
sula, upon and near Lake Michigan, and a small band of
Sauks or Sacs (the tribe to which the celebrated war
chief. Black Hawk, belonged) were settled upon a reser-
vation on the Huron River.
A considerable portion of the upper peninsula of
Michigan, when the writer first visited it, in 1840, was
still unceded Indian territory.
In most of the Indian cessions to the United States
reservations were made, at favorite points on the
streams, of extent sufficient for the wants of the greatly
reduced bands, or such portions of them as did not wish
to remove to lands offered them by the Government,
beyond the Mississippi. Of these, few now remain in
Indian possession.
179
Digitized
by Google
1 80 INDIANS IN MICHIGAN
However just may be the complaints of injustice done
to the aboriginal tribes of America, in the bargains so
often made with them for the purchase of the lands held
or claimed as theirs, it is gratifying to record, that no
stigma attaches to any transactions of this nature within
the limits of Michigan. Full compensation has. been
given in all cases. In the treaty made through Mr.
Schoolcraft, as commissioner on the part of the United
States, for the territory claimed by the Chippewas of
Saginaw, the price paid was probably more than the
Government will ever realize from the public sales of the
lands ceded.
Though, with the exception of small reservations, all
the lower peninsula had been ceded to the United States,
there remained in 1837 ^ very considerable Indian popu-
lation, residing in villages and small agricultural commu-
nities, at various points. These received annuities from
the federal government, through Indian agents. Schools
were also established among them, each community was
provided with a blacksmith, maintained at the national
expense, and considerable sums were yearly expended in
the encouragement of agriculture. The entire Indian
population of the State, at that time, was probably not
less than 15,000.
In Clark's Gazetteer of Michigan, for 1863, are enumer-
ated the following, as the entire Indian population :
BANDS. POP.
Chippewas of Lake Superior 7 1,004
Ottawas and Chippewas south of Lake Superior 49 4.826
Chippewas of Saginaw 13 1,632
Chippewas, Ottawas and Pottawatomies of southern counties. . 2 235
Pottawatomies of Huron i 51
Totals 72 7,748
Digitized
by Google
CHI PPM WAS OF SA GIN A W. I g i
Among these are twenty-eight schools, supported by
the federal government.
^ They have six smiths, and from fifteen to eighteen
^ missionaries.
The Government pays annually :
In cash annuities, about $40,000
In goods 3»ooo
For schools, smiths and agricultural purposes 20,000
For agencies 8,000
Total $70,000
which amounts to more than nine dollars for each man,
woman and child.
Yet all this provident care does not prevent their
rapid diminution.
} In the fall of 1837 I visited a village of the Chippe-
WcLs of Saginaw. It was situated on the river Tittaba-
wassee, sixteen miles above Saginaw City. The small-
pox had lately visited the band, and the village was
nearly deserted. It consisted of a few lodges only.
These differed from any I had before seen ; being built
of strong poles, covered and lined with bark, and large
enough to accommodate, after the native fashion, a fam-
ily of ten to twenty persons. Several fields of maize, of
perhaps twenty acres each, constituted the cultivation.
These were ploughed and planted with regularity, show-
ing a good degree of agricultural improvement.
That dire disease, small-pox, unknown to the Indians
before the coming of the whites, and, next to " fire
water,** their most fatal gift, had made cruel havoc
among this band, and nearly annihilated it. It was
said, that out of five or six hundred, who composed the
band, not more than a third were left.
Digitized
by Google
1 82 INDIAiVS IN MICHIGAN,
Being desirous to obtain a canoe belonging to the
chief, I went, late in the evening, with an interpreter,
to his lodge. This old chief was named Ba-mos-^ya
(Dried-in-the-Sun), and was called by the whites the
" pox-marked chief.'* We sat with him an hour, though
he and his family had gone to rest some time before. He
seemed glad of the interruption, for the desolation of
his band had made the old man lonely. Two of his
three wives had died, and his lodge — about sixteen feet
square — was occupied by him, with his remaining wife,
and a large family of children. He sat upon the bed in
his blanket, naked to the waist, and talked with much
energy on the subject nearest his heart for half an
hour, during which we did not interrupt him. He told
how a strong disease had attacked his little band, until
one by one they dropped away, and dying families left
their dead unburied, or covered with sand upon the
beach.
What greatly increased their distress was the refusal
of the Government agents to assist them. Through fear
of the disease, they deserted the band in its utmost
need, and when wholly unable to hunt, withholding the
supplies so much needed, and which were due them by
treaties, permitting the band to perish of sickness and
starvation. To the shame of humanity, it is to be feared
that this charge was too true.
This chief was not called to the treaty recently con-
eluded at Detroit, where the lands of his tribe had been
ceded away, and he was much dissatisfied in conse-
quence, he and his band refusing to remove.
Altogether, this is the best-looking tribe I have seen
in Michigan. Some of the girls have regular features,
that even among white beauties would be esteemed
Digitized'by
Google
POTTA WA TOMIES AND OTTA WAS. 1 83
handsome. Among these was a young granddaughter
of olid Bamoseya, a beautiful half-breed, with brilliant
black eyes. Notwithstanding the pleasing poetic fic-
tions of poets and painters, it is rare to find, among any
of the Indian tribes of this region, the forms and feat-
ures which, according to our ideas, constitute beauty.
Possibly the life of labor to which the squaws are sub-
jected has helped to entail upon them some organic
defects. In general the men have much the. finest forms.
Among the Chippewas, as well as the Pottawatomies
and Ottawas, I have been struck with the many agile,
lithe and manly figures.
The chief of a small band of Pottawatomies, whom I
saw in Branch County, named Sauquoit, was a man of
tall and elegant stature, and of an open, intelligent coun-
tenance. His dress, like that of most of his tribe, con-
sisted of a few tattered garments of the white man, with
cloth leggins, having a broad fringe at the sides, after
the Indian fashion, and fitted tight to the limb.
There is in the Indian organization more of agility and
grace than of strength. Of this I witnessed an instance
among some young Ottawas and the young men of my
party of whites. In a wrestling match the Indians were
easily thrown, until they resorted to the stratagem of
entirely stripping and greasing their bodies. In swift-
ness of foot they were more than a match for our men,
though the wind and endurance of the latter were
greater.
The love of the Indians for the ** fire-water," and the
ease with which they are enabled to procure it, through
the cupidity of the whites, have ever proved one of the
great obstacles to their civilization. The State and gen-
eral governments have frequently passed laws to prevent
Digitized
by Google
1 84
INDIANS IN MICHIGAN
the sale -of ardent spirits to the Indians, and many at-
tempts have been made to enforce them, but in this, as
in most other cases, self-interest usually gets the better
of good resolutions.
An anecdote in point was related to me by a mer-
chant in one of our interior villages. At the time of
my story he was a trader with the Indians, having his
store at Jackson, from which, after the custom of the
traders, he would send out runners to intercept the na-
tives on their trail, and toll them to his store. *.* The sale
of spirituous liquors was contrary to law, yet no one,'*
said Mr. D- , " could deal with those thirsty souls,
without supplying their taste for the dram. If they
could not obtain it here, they would mount horses and go
to Detroit for their trade, where whiskey could be got."
So, when a trade was concluded, it was his custom to lock
doors, and treat his customers to their favorite beverage,
taking care that none should be seen drunk within vil-
lage limits.
" There were only about twenty whites,** said he, " with
whom I traded, out of the whole county, but they were
mostly * church members,* and indignant at the mer-
chants* reported dealing of spirits to the Indians.*' They
assembled a county meeting on the subject, at which Mr.
D was called to account. The trader, being thus
summoned, appeared and made a speech in his vindica-
tion. He represented to the meeting, that, as the giving
of liquors to the Indians was unlawful, he had never ac-
knowledged, nor would he, that he had ever furnished it
to them. "But," said he, "you very well know the im-
possibility of effecting a trade unless liquor comes from
some quarter, and that if it is not forthcoming they will
invariably trade elsewhere. It is therefore my opinion
Digitized
by Google
CIVILIZED OTTAWAS.
185
that somebody does furnish it, in order that their trade
may be secured to us.*'
Whereupon an influential citizen arose, and moved
that Mr. D be required to supply the Indians with
as much liquor as he thinks necessary to retain their trade.
The question being called for, notwithstanding so ludi-
crous an appeal, and so entirely at variance with the ob-
ject of the meeting, after much awkward objection, was
put to the county, and carried by acclamation !
Of the labors of the early Jesuit missionaries, among
the Indians, in the far wildernesses of this region, few
monuments remain. But that the results have, in some
instances, been lasting, we have at least one interesting
evidence.
In the summer of 1838 I had the pleasure of visiting
several villages of Ottawas, about L'Arbre Croche and
Traverse Bays, of Lake Michigan. They had here
formed several agricultural communities, with a total
population of more than one thousand souls. All around
was uninhabited wilderness.
They dwelt in cabins built of logs, twenty to twenty-
five feet square, and thatched on roof and walls with
cedar bark, solidly constructed and comfortable.
The principal village, of about fifty cabins, was arranged
in a regular street, sixty feet wide, the houses opposite
each other, and from fifty to one hundred feet apart, and
most of them had private yards, filled with currant
bushes, and other shrubbery.
The internal appearance was equally neat. There
were several apartments, and the walls were adorned
with highly-colored pictures.
Upon the height, above the village, stood the Mission
Digitized
by Google
1 36 INDIANS IN MICHIGAN.
Church, a building of considerable size, with the dwell-
ing of the priest adjoining, and in front a large white
cross.
The farm, on the upland, was worked in common, and
fine crops of Indian corn and potatoes were growing.
The dress of these Indian communists consisted of a
mixture of the white and Indian costumes; for with
the savage the taste for leggins, and ornamental work
in the native style, never yields to his progress in civil-
ization.
This simple community was still far from any settle-
ment of the white man, and it seemed as if here at least
the first seeds of Christianity, planted by the zealous
labors of the Jesuit fathers, among these children of the
forest, had blossomed into a little flower of civilization
and borne fruit.
It is probably two centuries since this germ was planted.
More than a century ago fehe community was visited by
the English trader, Alexander Henry (1761), and I
quote his brief account, as showing how firmly rooted
it then was.
"At the entrance of Lake Michigan, and at about
twenty miles to the west of Fort Michilimackinaw, is the
village of L*Arbre Croche, inhabited by a band of Otta-
was, boasting of two hundred and fifty fighting men.
This is the seat of the Jesuit mission of St. Ignace de
Michilimackinac, and the people are partly baptized and
partly not. The missionary resides on a farm attached
to the mission, and situated between the village and the
fort, both of which are under his care. The Ottawas of
L'Arbre Croche, who, when compared with the Chippe-
was, appear to be much advanced in civilization, grow
Digitized
by Google
GOVERNMENT POLICY.
187
maize for the market of Michilimackinac, where this com-
modity is depended upon for provisioning the canoes/* ^
Some young men from this tribe, as well as the Chip-
pewas, were sent to schools in the States, and received
a liberal education. They were not behind white schol-
ars in aptitude or capacity. I was acquainted with one
who adopted the law for his profession, establishing him-
self, I believe, at Mackinac ; and, although I am unable
to aver that he was eminent as a lawyer, I do know that
few surpassed him in refined eloquence.
Some of these educated Indians were unable to resist
the charms with which the greenwood had impressed
their youthful imaginations, and, after some years of trial,
abandoned their civilization, and returned to the wild
life of their ancestors.
POLICY OF THE GOVERNMENT TOWARDS THE INDIANS.
I would here say a few words in regard to the policy
pursued by the United States Government towards the
Indians. The difficulties in the way of doing them exact
justice are very apparent. So little form of government
exists among them ; so limited, uncertain, and often fee-
ble, is the authority of the chiefs, that the binding force
of a treaty signed by those calling themselves such, is
open to much doubt. It is not to be wondered at that
these are often repudiated by large portions of tribes,
which are supposed to be held by their obligations, and
* This once isolated Indian mission and flourishing settlement of Otta-
was is now (188.6) usurped by a white man's village — a well-frequented
watering-place — where tasteful cottages are embowered amid the trees.
Though the Catholic mission remains, most of the Indians have been re-
moved to a " Reservation " ; their communistic community broken up,
and the farm abandoned to modern agriculture.
Digitized
by Google
1 88 GOVERNMENT POLICY TOWARDS THE INDIANS,
that, in fact, treaties are a very imperfect expression of
the will of a people who recognize no law which is op-
posed to the independent judgment and consent of indi-
viduals.
Nor is it easy to ascertain the exact limits of Indian
claims to title or occupancy, in the conflicting preten-
sions of different tribes.
But however ill defined these rights may be, the
Indian is as jealous of any encroachment upon them, as
civilized man is of any infringement of his claims.
Moreover, he sees himself continually being deprived
of them. He sees mile after mile of territory, which
was once the recognized land of his ancestors, and the
hunting-grounds of his youth, in the remorseless grasp of
another and hated race ; even the graves of his fathers —
objects of veneration amounting to superstition — swept
from him. He sees whole tribes of his kindred under-
going a gradual extinction, — a warning of his own fate.
His means of subsistence are reduced ; the provisions
and payments promised by treaty stipulations, and
upon which he relied for alleviation of his growing
wants, are fraudulently withheld, or misapplied. He
knows no one to whom he can apply for redress, and his
appeals, or claims to sympathy, are treated with con-
tempt by the increasing bands of hardy settlers that are
forming a cordon around his narrow possessions.
Can we wonder that he is often driven, in his igno-
rance and exasperation, to desperate methods of redress ;
to secret and violent means of retaliation? That con-
flicts occur between individuals subjected to these
grievances, enhanced by the irregular advances of the
whites and the settlers on the frontiers, in which both
parties are aggressors? That tribes band together in
Digitized
by Google
INDIAN CHARACTER,
189
the vain effort to check the invasion, and to regain their
ancient liberties ?
History records with admiration the deeds of a Tell, a
Leonidas, a Washington, in shaking off the yoke which
tyranny had imposed upon a people. Shall we regard as
less dignified, just and heroic, the efforts of a Philip, a
Pontiac, and a Tecumseh, to restore to their people
their anci^ent freedom ? Shall we withhold our sympathy,
because a wild and ignorant race are stimulated to occa-
sional savage barbarities ?
I am not one of those who see in the Indian only the
being he has been painted by poetic minds. There is a
halo of romantic light which rests upon his name and
story, and lingers about his retreating form. It gives a
glow to the colors with which the philanthropist and
the poet love to illuminate his few hardy virtues, and
invests them with many noble and heroic qualities.
The wildness and solitude of his abode; his simple
and hospitable life; the expressive melody of his lan-
guage*; above all, the traditionary tales and stories of
wild wanderings and savage feats, clothed with the im-
agery of imaginative and enthusiastic minds, and with
the illusions of poetry, have served to convey many
erroneous impressions. It is soothing to human pride to
dwell upon uncultivated virtues, and to picture human-
ity clothed in so fair a garb by the hand of nature.
But, in truth, the virtues of the Indian are few and
simple ; his failings such as are little in accord with the
standard of civilization.
The Indian in a state of nature is cruel and vindictive.
He delights in war. His art is to take advantage of his
adversary, by every species of deceit ; to pursue him
with relentless hatred ; to waylay, and to murder him in
Digitized
by Google
IQO
GOVERNMENT POLICY TOWARDS THE INDIANS.
the dead of night ; exposing his own person as little as
possible in open combat ; and, if his victim be cap-
tured, to put an end to his miserable existence by lin-
gering tortures. Revenge is a virtue to the savage mind.
Even his generosity is often the offering of one who
has little to give, and expects much in return.
Among them, woman — the pride of civilized life — is
a drudge and a slave. At war with each other, the
tribes have, even among themselves, little of fixed and
recognize'd title to the lands they occupy. They wander
like ships upon a desert ocean, leaving scarcely the trace
of passing humanity ; their meetings are more often the
interchange of the war-whoop and the scalping-knife
than the friendly greetings of brethren.
On the other hand, the superiority of man in his civil-
ized state over the savage seems almost immeasurable.
His physical strength and powers of endurance are in-
creased, his intellectual faculties are more acute, and
his capacity for advancement in the arts of life are far
beyond that of the savage.
He is also a land worker. The territory which is
required for the support of a single hunter will maintain
a thousand agriculturists. He builds cities, and forms
constituted governments.
His wants become commensurate with his enlarged
capacities. Civilization has given him a far-reaching
spirit of enterprise, which demands and must occupy a
more extended field of operation. Confined to the nar-
row limits of primitive life, forbidden to exercise sover-
eignty beyond the little sphere of immediate necessity,
if conflicting with savage claims, he must be doomed
forever to repress those powers which, if left free to
expand, would turn solitudes into cities, and convert the
Digitized
by Google
THE DEMA/VVS OF CIVILIZATION. jqi
earth itself, and the ocean, into the magnificent domain
of mind. No sublime applications of science would
open the treasures locked up in the earth ; the arts and
the use of metals would be unknown ; the laws of matter,
now subservient to our use, would be mysteries ; no
commerce would whiten the sea, and carry from peo-
ple to people, from clime to clime, the productions of
far distant nations, and the discoveries of intellectual
man. The command of Jehovah himself, to ** multiply
and replenish the earth, and subdue it,** would be a dead
letter on the Statute Book of Deity !
Such is the course of reasoning which has led the
wisest of American statesmen, and the ablest of her jur-
ists, to recognize in the Indian tribes — thinly scattered
over an immense extent of territory — only a very qual-
ified title to the soil. They hold, that to the civilized
race belongs the right to extinguish the Indian title and
occupancy, by purchase, or even by conquest ; that the
very existence of political societies involves permanent
rights of property, and of sovereignty, over the soil, as
against the feebly held and uncertain tenure of the sav-
age ; and that the peculiar character and habits of the
Indian nations render them incapable of sustaining any
other relations with the whites than that of dependence
and pupilage.
Yet it is easy for the strong to make laws over the
weak. To the credit of a Christian nation, the right
thus laid down has been exercised by the United States
to a very qualified extent. It has been their policy to
treat the Indians as free and independent tribes, compe-
tent to act in a national character, and, within their own
territories, owing no allegiance to the municipal laws of
the whites. They have recognized the various tribes as
Digitized
by Google
192
GOVERNMENT POLICY TOWARDS THE INDIANS.
treaty-making powers, and in the purchase of their
lands it has been the aim to give just and fair equiva-
lents.
An omniscient and wise providence has placed in our
hands the fate of that unfortunate race.- The history of
the past tells in unmistakable language what is to be
the final consummation : that the Indian is destined to
fade before the Anglo-Saxon, until the now wild and
warring tribes west of the Mississippi become as those
who. peopled the land east of that once mighty barrier,
and who have perished before our eyes.
If such is to be their fate, before that event occurs
we have our duty to perform. We can at least alleviate
their downfall. We can exercise that justice which is
the best prerogative of power.
The plan of collecting the scattered tribes into
reserves, from which the evil influence of the whites
shall be, as far as practicable, excluded, was no doubt
the wisest that our fathers were able to devise. But the
humanity of the Government has not controlled the
action of individuals. Were these equally interested
with the Government in carrying out its paternal meas-
ures, the success of the plan, in the increased happiness
and prolonged existence of those it aims to protect,
might be secured. But there are never wanting unprin-
cipled and interested men, who excite evil passions,
encourage rebellions, overreach in bargains, and rob the
pensioners of their annual stipends. Nor can the Gov-
ernment always prevent iniquity in its agents, who have
frequently and outrageously abused their trusts.
The system hitherto pursued, of Indian agencies, —
mere political appointments, with whom the large oppor-
Digitized
by Google
GOVERNMENT IMPOLICY.
193
tunities for speculation and gain are the main induce-
ment,— is most objectionable.
In many cases — eventually, in all — ^the duties of these
agents may be more safely and wisely intrusted to com-
missioners from the tribes; — to men selected by them-
selves^ of their own race, having education, authority,
and the confidence of the red men. This would, at least,
lift from us, to great extent, the responsibility of unfair
dealing. It would bring the half-civilized tribes into
nearer and more direct relationship to our Government.
It would make their dependence less felt, and develop
their capacity for self-government.
Nor has Congress shown that regard for the faith of the
nation, pledged in the numerous Indian treaties, which
is consistent with the good-will that originally inspired
them. How many wars might have been avoided but
for the neglect of Congress to pass the called for appro-
priations, and for the niggardly and dishonest withhold-
ing of supplies that were part of the contract.
Admitting that these wars have been provoked chiefly
through the aggressions of white settlers, desperadoes
and thieves, still how many a murderous outbreak would
have been prevented had these unlawful acts been fol-
lowed by prompt redress on the part of the Government.
The law's delay, the false representations of interested
parties, the insufficiency of our army, the race-hatred,
and murders unavenged by the proper authorities, have
often left the Indians no redress save a resort to their
own code of vengeance.
And when treaties have been broken by the unauthor-
ized acts of our own people what has the Government
done ? Instead of avenging the wrong, it has been but
too ready to make new treaties, followed usually by
Digitized
by Google
194
GOVERNMENT POLICY TOWARDS THE INDIANS.
removal to another reservation, only to be again broken
in upon, and succeeded by another new settlement,
always in favor of the whites, and in disregard of the
interests of the weaker party.
There are scattered among us many Indian commu-
nities which have adopted an agricultural life, and the
dress and mode of living of the whites. Many exam-
ples show that the Indian has more capacity and will for
these influences than it is usual to credit to him. They
encourage the belief that he is not averse to work, and
to civilized requirements, if only sufficient incentive be
set before him, and he can have assurance that his newly
acquired privileges will be confirmed to him. But,
driven from one settled home to another and unknown
one at the caprice of his white neighbors, who crowd
upon and covet his lands ; subjected to the yielding im-
policy of the Government ; knowing how little depend-
ence can be placed upon reiterated promises made to
him in solemn treaties, and feeling that nothing is stable
in his situation, is it strange that his advance in civiliza-
tion is slow ? , Is it not rather strange that he has accom-
plished so much ?
The experiment is yet almost untried of what may be
accomplished by bringing this child of the forest under
the operation of our laws, and endowing him with all the
rights and privileges of citizenship. This will not be the
work of a year, or of many years. Barbarian instincts
cannot be subdued in a generation. There will be many
failures, but the habit will be acquired, gradually but
surely. Tribal systems will give place to forms of gov-
ernment better suited to the present condition of the
tribes and to their future.
It is gratifying to know that the guaranteed rights of
Digitized
by Google
THE TRUE POLICY.
195
the Indians are being more respected by those into
whose hands are devolved the execution of the laws, and
that the chief executive power is actively exerted in
preventing individual encroachments. As a people, we
are awaking to a clear sense of our duty. The Board
of Indian Commissioners is faithfully urging upon Con-
gress the fulfilment of obligations, and a more wise legis-
lation. Their last report states, that the year 1884 has
been for all the Indians one of peace and quiet ; that
there have been no outbreaks, no need of a " Peace
Commission," but a year of steady progress in industry,
in education, in material prosperity and in civilized
habits.
Now let us take advantage of this better appreciation
to do our whole duty. It seems to me that the wisdom
of experience requires that we should abolish the old
treaty system, which has so often proved a failure.
Nevertheless, obligations already incurred should be
sacredly fulfilled. If modification be desirable, it should
be made in accordance with the wishes of the weaker
party, not of those most clamorous for it.
As far and as fast as possible, and with their full con-
nivance, the Indians should be brought into the same
relations with the Government as ourselves, where tribes
are so far advanced as to demand it. Land should be
allotted to them in severalty rather than in common,
so that no individual can be deprived of his land by
unjust or mistaken action on the part of chiefs, whose
authority is always doubtful, and of uncertain value.
This plan has succeeded well where the people are fitted
for it.
The tribes on the reservations should be induced to
form communities, constituted, as nearly as may be.
Digitized
by Google
196 GOVERNMENT POLICY TOWARDS THE INDIANS.
after our township, county and state governments.
Encourage settled habits of cultivation of the soil, and
raising of cattle. Give all needed facilities for educa-
tion, and for forming industrial and civilized habits.
Especially afford to the willing and industrious oppor-
tunity to acquire homesteads, securing to them such a
title to the land they occupy that no power but their
own can deprive them of it. As one tribe after another
becomes prepared for it, admit them to the rights of
citizenship, on a full equality in every respect with those
who now enjoy its benefits.
But let the problem be worked out by the Indians
themselves. Let citizenship be offered as a boon, to
those only who are fitted for it and desire it. To this
end instructions in the public schools, where young
Indians are taught, should aim to educate teachers and
to prepare the pupils — who are apt scholars — to under-
stand the rights and duties of citizens.
I will not pretend to lay down the forms of law under
which these results are to be attained, nor to predict the
time when all will be accomplished. These must de-
pend upon trial and experience. But let the end be
ever held in view, and let the full, prompt and active
protection of the law be afforded against whoever and
whatever seeks to obstruct the laws, and to divert the
nation from its just course.
Under wise regulations these advantages might be
extended to all the tribes who come within our present
agency system. Let them form a necessary part of that
system. And instead of treating the Indian as a savage
beast, to be kept under our civil and military control,
lest he should break away and tear our people to pieces,
^ Jet--our people be taught to recognize him as having
Digitized
by Google
THE CONSUMMATION.
197
common privileges with ourselves ; to direct his energies
into the channels of law and of good government ; to
wean him, by encouragement and example, from habits
of barbarism to industricd occupations.
It may be considered as certain, that the old system
will not avail to save the perishing objects of its care
from future misery and final extinction.
The wave of population has continued to flow west-
ward, unchecked by the great Mississippi, and the large
Indian reservations — already coveted and surrounded —
are even now being broken in upon by the same insati-
able race that has driven their occupants from the
homes of their fathers, on the rivers which flow into the
Atlantic.
Already, far beyond these ** Indian Territories,'* Saxon
energies have carried the arts of civilization and its ever
unsatisfied demands along the shores of the Pacific, and
into the strongholds of the Rocky Mountains. Even in
the distant homes of the desert are occurring the same
conflict of interests, with the same results which have
attended our meetings and our progress hitherto.
When the last warring tribes shall have submitted to
treaties, and been accorded the protection of territory
set apart and solemnly guaranteed to their exclusive use,
what will be in the end but the old story, — the influence
of bad whites ; encroachments — under various pretences,
and with fair show — upon their lines and their privileges ;
robbery (under another name), by degrees, of their weak
possessions ; until they are exposed to all the evils from
which they have fled.
It may be the inscrutable plan of Providence that this
primitive race shall become extinct, and that civilized
man, with his cultivated powers and larger means for
Digitized
by Google
198
GOVERNMENT POLICY TOWARDS THE INDIANS,
carrying out the designs of the Creator in planting here
a mighty nation, shall supply his place.
It is sad to think that, in a few years, will have utterly
perished from the face of this goodly land every vestige
of its former proprietors. Like the wild beasts which
they hunted, they, too, pass from sight and from mem-
ory, leaving no memorials, except in the names which
their poetic language has bestowed upon the natural
features of their country. Powerful nations of antiquity
have been overwhelmed in the desolating march of bar-
barous hordes, but the Indian has been swept by the ad-
vancing wave of civilization. No mighty monumental
ruin, withstanding the desolations of time, and mantling
with verdure in its decay, bears his history and his deeds
to a future age. No customs or laws, which he origi-
nated, mingle the existence of the conquerors with the
conquered. A few mounds of earth alone remain, evi-
dence of his former being ; and these the ploughshare will
soon level with the surrounding fields.
Mindful of the mutability of fortune which may be in
store for us, their now powerful successors, let us perform
towards this perishing people the whole duty which our
civilization and our Christianity require.
And if. finally, nothing can avert the threatened doom,
but, like that now forgotten people whom their own has
superseded, they also are destined to be extinguished ; if,
one by one, each remaining tribe must undergo the fate
of the Delaware and the Mohegan ; when some Uncas of
the vanished race shall stand upon the lonely burial
mound of his forefathers, to take his last survey of their
once happy home, let him carry no reproach to the
land of spirits, that anything has been neglected by us,
consistent with the welfare of his race, or the preserva-
tion of our national honor.
Digitized
by Google
THE MOUND-BUILDERS IN MICHIGAN,
f PART I.
I
Digitized
by Google
. . . . " Are they here—
The dead of other days ? —
.... Let the mighty mounds
That overlook the rivers, or that rise
In the dim forest, crowded with old oaks,
Answer. A race, that long has passed away,
Built them ; — ^a disciplined and populous race
Heap*d, with long toil, the earth, while yet the Greek
Was hewing the Pentelicus to forms
Of sjrmmetry, and rearing on its rock
The glittering Parthenon. These ample fields
Nourished their harvests."
Bryant.
Digitized
by Google
THE MOUND-BUILDERS IN MICHIGAN.
Part I. — General Character and Distribution of
THE Works.
FEW works of a pre-historic people comparable to
those found in Ohio, and elsewhere to the south-
ward, occur in Michigan.
Some scattered earthworks are found, of whose origin
and uses the tribes of Indians living here at the first ad-
vent of the white man had no knowledge. They are of
far less extent than those of Ohio, and indicate a people
of different customs.
Circular earthworks occur here and there, but they are
of small size, and referable to a different purpose from
the large circle-mounds of the Ohio. There are no trun-
cated mounds, such as those found further south, and
supposed to have constituted foundations or terraces for
the dwellings of chiefs, or for religious edifices. No
long earth-built ways, connecting the larger circles or
squares, occur in Michigan. Nor are there any defen-
sive works on so grand a scale as those in the Ohio
Valley.
A few earth-mounds occur, some of which may be re-
ferred to a defensive purpose.
One of these is found — or was found, for the desolating
plough has reigned rampant over it for the last thirty
years — on the Clinton River, in Macomb County, and is
thus described to me by Mr. J. E. Day, of Romeo. It lay
20 1
Digitized
by Google
DIAGRAM OF ANCIENT EARTHWORKS, MACOMB COUNTY
Digitized
by Google
DEFENSIVE WORKS. 203
between the north branch of Clinton River and a small .
spring tributary, and was about twenty rods distant from
either stream, and on a plateau elevated fifteen feet
above. It consisted of a nearly circular embankment four
to five feet high, and enclosed about three acres. The
diameters were 350 and 400 feet respectively. On the
outer side was a wide ditch. There were three openings
or gateways, each twenty feet wide, and protected within
by a mound so placed as to shut off from without all
view of the interior. A small lake within the enclosure
supplied water to the garrison.
Between this " fort " and the smaller stream were a
large number of tumuli, in an irregular cluster, each of
which contained a single skeleton. A little below the
junction of this stream with the Clinton was a very large
tumulus, surrounded by seven smaller ones in a circle.
In situation and general character this work bears con-
siderable analogy to the defensive works of Northern
Ohio. The embankment may have been crowned with
palisades, and the interior mounds may have served for
observation, as well as defence, to a village within the
circle. A large amount of broken pottery and other
relics found in the vicinity seems to indicate a once nu-
merous population. Nothing is known which would in-
dicate a religious purpose, analogous to the so-called
" sacred enclosures *' of Ohio. In all the north-western
portion of this county, extensive fields or gardens, in
which the cultivation was in drills or rows, may still be
distinctly traced.
Near the mouth of this river occurs another similar
work, and of apparently a like defensive character.
Mr. Henry Little, in one of several papers on the
Mounds, published in the Kalamazoo Telegraph in 1874,
Digitized b/
Google
204
THE MOUND-BUILDERS IN MICHIGAN,
mentions an ancient work in Gilead, Branch County,
which may with some probability be classed as defensive.
" It was an earth embankment, one end starting from
the waters of a small lake, the other end coming around
to the lake at a point considerably distant from the first.
It enclosed an excellent spring of water."
He also describes an earthwork of this kind, and much
more extensive, at Three Rivers, in St. Joseph County.
" The Rocky River from the north, and Portage Creek
from the north-east, unite their waters with the St.
Joseph, but a few rods distant from each other, forming
a tract of land in the shape of the letter V. About a
mile north of this junction was an artificial earth em-
bankment, about six feet high, stretching across the
plain, from Rocky River to the Portage.** This plain is
elevated many feet above these streams, and with this
triple defence a beleaguered army might here sustain
itself with considerable confidence against the warfare
of savage foes.
This defensive work has a peculiar interest, from its
vicinity to those remarkable evidences of ancient labor,
skill and taste, denominated the "garden beds," of
which a description is given elsewhere.
Blois, in his Gazetteer, alludes to " forts of the square
or rectangular kind,** one of which " is said to be one or
two miles below Marshall, one in town of Prairie-Ronde,
and several on the Kalamazoo.** It is to be regretted
that no traces now remain of these structures.
On the banks of the St. Joseph River I remember to
have seen, in 1837, a circular embankment of unknown
origin. It was of small size, and so well defined that I
could not pass it unnoticed. My recollection, however,
does not enable me to give any very definite description.
Digitized
by Google
CIRCULAR WORKS, 205
Mr. Little, in the papers above referred to, mentions
an antique work of very unusual form. Describing a
tumulus on Climax Prairie, he adds, " South of the mound
and in the edge of the timber, on the highest part of a
hill or eminence, there was an excavated ringy which
formed the whole of a perfect circle, and enclosed one
and a half acres. The excavated hollow was about one
rod wide at the bottom and between 2 and 3 feet deep.
When first discovered, forty years ago, it was overgrown
with large forest trees.'*
Circles of this kind are very rare. Some have been
found in Ohio, and I remember seeing in Wisconsin an
animal form made in intaglio^ instead of relief.
The ring described by Mr. Little could not have had a
military purpose, or pains would not have been taken to
remove the earth, which, if thrown up as an embankment,
would have assisted such an object.
A circular embankment occurs at Springwells, just
below Fort Wayne. Of this I shall give a detailed de-
scription on a future page.
Some of the works above alluded to have a similar
character to those small earthworks found in the vicinity
of Lake Erie, on its south side, and extending into New
York, which have been surveyed and described by Col.
Charles Whittlesey. These consist of embankments with
outer ditches, and are built across the necks of the up-
lands between ravines, thus aiding to render a small piece
of land easily defended. Their purpose as works of
defence cannot be mistaken.
These are all isolated instances of comparatively small
defensive works, unconnected with each other, or with
any plan or system, like those series of forts which are
found in Ohio and which serve for the protection of a
Digitized
by Google
2o6 'T^^ MOUND-BUILDERS IN MICHIGAN
large district. It is probable they were temporary ref-
uges, hastily erected against some sudden inroad. Pos-
sibly they were the last refuge of an agricultural people,
like those who made the garden beds. This great emer-
gency may have arisen when those barbarous hordes, who
occasioned the final destruction or dispersion of the
Mound-Builders of Ohio, turned their victorious arms
upon the northern race of peaceful cultivators.
Of other kinds of relics of a past race Michigan has
more abundant examples.
Tumuli or burial mounds, single and grouped, are
very common in all parts of the peninsula. Many of
these were in use by the Indian tribes inhabiting the
country at its discovery and settlement by the whites,
and some continued to be used for their ancient purposes
for a long time afterward.
As I propose to describe with some particularity those
which occur in the immediate vicinity of Detroit, I will
content myself with alluding to a few only of special
interest, elsewhere.
By far the finest group of * mounds that has come to
my knowledge occurs on the banks of Grand River, three
miles south of Grand Rapids. They were still perfect
when the writer had the satisfaction of seeing them in
1874.
The largest of these mounds has a diameter of 100
feet, and a height of 15 feet or more above the gen-
eral surface. Close by are two others of nearly equal
size, all very regular in shape and conical. They are in
a line about 100 feet apart, and 500 feet from the river.
Around them cluster seventeen smaller tumuli, without
regular arrangement, and varying in height from eight
Digitized by
Google
TUMULI.
207
to two feet. All are within an area of two and a half
acres.
This group occupies the first terrace, which is over-
flowed in high water to the foot of the mounds. It lies
in the shadow of the ancient, untrimmed forest, consist-
ing principally of sugar maples. Trees were growing on
the mounds of two to three feet diameter, and there
were evidences of still older ones which have perished.
Seven of these tumuli were opened during the year
preceding my visit, by Captain Coffinbury and others,
and among them one of the largest. This was found to
be wholly composed of the richest portions of the sur-
rounding alluvial soil, differing in this respect from the
others, which were composed of the gravel of the uplands.
No relics were disclosed, except a copper awl. Patches
of ochreous earth were met with, a bushel in a place, as
though dumped from a basket. The absence of skele-
tons in this tumulus, and the red earth, together with
ashes, mingled with comminuted bone, would imply that
this mound was appropriated to such bodies only as were
cremated.
Of the smaller mounds, six were opened. In all skele-
tons were found, generally one only in each, and all were
so decayed that it was impossible to preserve them.
They were of ordinary size^ except one, which is pro-
nounced gigantic, the proportions " indicating a stature of
seven feet.*' All were in a sitting posture, and faced to
different points.
With the bones were many relics, the lowest mound
yielding the richest harvest. Besides the usual variety
of stone arrow- and spear-heads, were several copper
needles, and a copper axe, eight inches long by four
wide, and one-fourth iitch thick, quite smooth and per-
Digitized
by Google
2o8 "^^^ MOUND-BUILDERS IN MICHIGAN.
feet ; several stone pipes and marine shells were also
found. Four handsome pots constituted the most inter-
esting discovery. These will be alluded to hereafter.
The spot occupied by this interesting group of tumuli,
with its silent surroundings, lovely in its seclusion and
grand with its overshadowing foliage, impressed my mind
strongly with the poetical character of that race, who
combined with the savage life such a sympathetic love of
nature.
While certain tribes of the red man in historic times
are known to have made frequent use for intrusive burial
of mounds which they found in the land, it is the general
opinion that the era of their original fabrication belongs
to a more remote past. We can certainly point to an
exception in this State.
On the beautiful prairie of White Pigeon, and near
the village, I saw, many years ago, a tumulus of consid-
erable size. It was found by the first whites who settled
there in 1826, and tradition asserted that it enshrined the
remains of a celebrated chief of the Pottawatomies who
formerly occupied that part of the country, and who
buried him there a century before the date of the white
settlement. He was still held in such estimation that
thousands of his tribe came annually to pay their tribute
of respect at his grave, until the remnant were moved
by the U. S. Government to Kansas, in 1841.
A different mode of entombing their great men was
practised by the Indians inhabiting Western Michigan, in
the early part of this century.
In 1837, I saw on the summit of a lofty bluff overlook-
ing the river Kalamazoo, the grave of the renowned
chief, Wacousta. He was placed in a sitting posture, and
the body surrounded with a crib of logs, strongly put
Digitized
by Google
MODES OF BURIAL,
209
together, and entirely above ground. No attempt had
been made at raising an earth mound. The skeleton was
entire and still partially enveloped in its integuments.
Possibly this disposition may have been but tempa
rary, with a view to removal of the bones, after the flesh
had decomposed, to some general resting-place of the
nation.
Among the mounds of the Mississippi Valley, and fur-
ther south, are occasionally found some built of stones.
An instance of a similar construction is reported to me
by Mr. Day, of Romeo, associated with the ancient re-
mains in Macomb County. He says : *' In several places
in this vicinity were found mounds made of stones, nicely
piled up to a height of four to five feet, like a hay-cock.
They were entirely alone, and more than a mile distant
from the group of earth-mounds elsewhere mentioned."
One of these stone-mounds was opened forty years
ago. " It was four feet in height and placed in a circular
excavation of two feet depth by four feet diameter.
The stones were nicely placed, and had been preserved
in shape by a tree which grew on the summit, and threw
its roots over the sides of the pile. The stones being re-
moved, portions of a^human skeleton were exhumed."
Piles of stone are mentioned by Mr. Schoolcraft as ex-
isting on the Island of Mackinac, and supposed by him
to have been gathered by the ancient race for the pur-
pose of clearing the land for cultivation. But, although
ancient fields exist near, Mr. Day is certain that the stone
piles mentioned by him were for a different purpose,
and the discovery of the skeleton serves to confirm his
opinion. My own theory is, that the stones were heaped
about the body for protection, until the time should ar-
Digitized
by Google
2IO THE MOUND-BUILDERS IN MICHIGAN
rive for a general inhumation or ^* Feast of the dead/* —
a custom which I shall notice presently.
The earth-tumuli in Michigan are nearly always found
in some picturesque situation, on or near the banks of the
larger streams, often on some promontory that com-
manded a lengthened prospect of the Indian*s natural
highway, and which was probably his favorite resort
while living. But these places know him no more ; his
people have long ago departed ; his history is lost to
tradition, and even his tomb tells but an uncertain story
of his former being.
" Perhaps on banks of many a stream,
Sloping beneath the day's warm beam,
Tribes may have lived from sire to son,
And down through generations run,
Lapng their bones within the mound
Where all their gathered sires were found,
And yet the spot no sign disclose, —
Save this rude mound, — that ever there
The hum of men had filled the air,
And broke through Nature's wild repose."
These lines from " Ontwa,** a poem by our distin-
guished townsman, the late Col. Henry Whiting, well
illustrates the desolation which has fallen upon the
race, whose sole monuments are mounds of earth.
The tumuli are monuments to the dead as well as
graves. It is almost certain that one or more human
skeletons will be found entombed, unless the bones of the
occupants have perished through time, or from crema-
tion. Original burials seem to have been made at or be-
low the natural surface, and the bodies are found both in
horizontal and sitting postures, and little regard seems to
have been paid to the direction in which the face is
turned. So unscientific has been the usual mode of un-
Digitized
by Google
MONUMENT MOUNDS, 2 1 1
earthing these tombs, that the information they convey-
to us of the character of the ancient occupants, by crani-
um and other measurements, is far less definite and cer
tain than could be desired. Amid the diversity of
statement as to reported and actual finds, I think the
conclusion may be drawn, so far as relates to the aborig-
inal Wolverines, that they closely resembled the historic
races ; although several very prognathous skulls and the
" flattest tibia on record," found by Mr. H. Gillman in
the mounds at Springwells, might seem to refer them
to a lower type.
When mounds are opened in most cases, it is impos-
sible to determine from the reports whether the skeletons
found belong to original or intrusive burials. According
to some accounts, the skeletons indicate a race of very
inferior size ; according to others, they show a race of
giants. The elasticity of these ancient relics, to suit the
zeal of the narrator, is truly wonderful. On one occasion
I accompanied an old pioneer and worthy Judge to visit
several mounds in Western Michigan. My guide gravely
informed me that, twenty years before, he had dug from
one of these mounds a skeleton which, when laid out
upon the turf, measured eleven feet, eight and three-
quarter inches, and the skull of which fitted entirely over
the judicial head ! The Cardiff Giant was a few inches
longer than this, but as he was entirely of gypsum it was
quite easy to fabricate any proportions which the gulli-
bility of the public could swallow.
While .the Michigan mounds contain the usual com-
plement of stone axes, arrow-heads and spear-points, with
knives and other implements of chert, it is a little singu-
lar that so few tools of copper have been found. Finds
of this kind in Wisconsin have far exceeded those from
Digitized
by Google
2 1 2 THE MOUND-BUILDERS IN MICHIGAN,
our soils, and this would seem to indicate less acquaint-
ance with the copper quarries of Lake Superior, on the
part of the ancient inhabitants of our peninsula, than
among the dwellers west of Lake Michigan. In connec-
tion with the copper axe mentioned as among the "finds
in the mounds at Grand Rapids, was some substance
having the appearance of cloth, but too much decayed
for preservation. Several copper axes from mounds in
Iowa were found wrapped in a similar covering, which
Dr. Farquharson pronounces to be cloth. Possibly a
microscopic examination may prove that the Grand
Rapids tool was similarly encased, showing both advance
in the art of weaving and some especial reverence or
consideration for the metal implement.
Among the relics found in the Grand Rapids mounds
— and by no means uncommon in other tumuli — are
marine shells. Some of these must have come from the
Atlantic or the Gulf, while one is pronounced by Prof.
Strong to be from the Pacific. They are interesting as
showing the extended intercourse, and probably system
of barter and exchange, practised by the unknown peo-
ples. The Pacific coast shells had evidently served the
purpose of vessels, the whorls being cut out and holes
made for hanging. Shells similarly prepared were in use
by the Southern Indians in the time of De Soto, for
drinking-cups, as horns were used by our Saxon ances-
tors.
In pottery our mounds are quite rich. Some of the
pots are at least fully equal to those of the bronze period
in Europe. The four pots mentioned as disinterred at
Grand Rapids were of very regular form ; one had a rim
around the neck, from which the vessel, after a slight
curve inwards, swelled into a bowl of uniform bulge.
Digitized
by Google
CONTENTS OF THE MOUNDS, 213
The other three differed in this, that the bowl — round
bottomed in all — was divided into four equal bulges.
These were made more sharply protuberant by a smooth
band, an inch wide, surrounding. each, very accurately
modelled and deeply impressed. On each side were orna-
ments of similar design. A smooth band encircled the
neck, and the rim was adorned with cross-lines or hatch-
ing. The surface otherwise was covered with small
indentations, the whole effect being quite tasteful.
Among the finds in Macomb County was a dish of an
unusual size and form, and entire. It resembled the
smaller half end of an egg-shell, and had a capacity of
twelve to fifteen gallons. It was ornamented with figures
of various kinds. Unfortunately this unique vase, on ex-
posure, crumbled to pieces.
The pots found by Blois in the mound opened by him
at Springwells in 1839 ^^ere generally too much broken to
determine their shapes. They appeared to be in the
form of a half egg, abruptly contracted toward the
mouth, with a flaring brim, and of the capacity of one
or two gallons. They were smooth on the inside but
marked on the exterior with various fantastic figures.
By the side of each of the numerous skeletons found
in what is known as the Carsten Mound, Springwells,
lay a pot or urn, of which three only were obtained en-
tire. Two of these were uncommonly fine specimens,
in good preservation, and about a foot in height. The
neck was about five inches wide, with a collar, below the
rim, of two inches breadth. Below this the body
swelled into a graceful curve, rounded at the base into a
gourd form. The composition was clay, largely mixed
with pounded stone, which contained much mica, and
on the inside was black throughout. On the exterior
Digitized
by Google
POTS FROM MOUND NEAR GRAND RAPIDS.
214
Digitized
by Google
POTTERY.
215
was a thin coating of. reddish clay, quite distinct from
the remainder. The fineness of the texture, combined
with great lightness, was admirable. These vases were
purchased by Mr. Gillman, and presented to the Archae-
ological Museum at Cambridge, Mass.
The above describes but a few specimens of the many
pots, found usually in fragments, in the mounds at
Springwells and elsewhere. The composition and gen-
eral character are much the same.
The art of the potter is so ancient and universal, and
the character and forms of the utensils made of baked
clay are so important, in a determination of the advance
in culture of the people by whom they were fabricated,
that more interest attaches to the remains of a perished
race which show the state of the ceramic art among
them, than to any other of the ordinary relics. The
specimens from the Michigan mounds show a taste to
appreciate, and an eye and hand capable of giving finish
to articles of admirable form, symmetry and lightness,
scarcely less perfect than if constructed on a potter's
wheel.
Straight or zigzag lines occur on the coarsest speci-
mens, and may betoken the first advance from the rud-
est savage ideas. But curved forms and figures are
more pleasing to the cultivated eye, and imply a degree
of aesthetic advancement. By some process differing
from and less effective than the modern, an imperfect
glazing was obtained, and the' inner surfaces are often
quite smooth and fine.
It is possible, though it seems hardly probable, that
these pots were an importation from the South, the Indi-
ans of the Southern States, ancient and modern, being
noted for the excellence and variety of their pottery.
Digitized
by Google
2 1 6 THE MOUND-B UILDERS IN MICHIGAN.
That country furnished all the material desired, — colored
clays, sea-shells, and micaceous rocks. Old kilns have
been found in Georgia, and Adair suggests that the
black color was owing to the smoke of the pitch pine
used in the fires. The fact that in the better kinds of
pottery found in the Northern mounds exactly the same
materials combine, and the general resemblance of the
ornamentation, may therefore warrant the conclusion
that they were importations. This supposition, while it
deprives the Northern Mound-Builders of the credit due
to such skilful artisans, shows, at least, that the Northern
peoples had the good taste to appreciate these beautiful
and useful articles, and it conveys an enlarged idea of the
extent of the traffic which existed in these ancient times,
between the widely separated portions of the continent.
The sea-shells tell the same story, and it is known that,
even in modern times, the manufacture of stone imple-
ments, arrow-points, etc., was confined to a few skilled
persons, and that such articles were transported all over
the country, for purpose of sale and barter.
FROM MICHIGAN MOUND,
Digitized
by Google
THE MOUND BUILDERS IN MICHIGAN.
PART II.
Digitized
by Google
o
o
M
<
O
<
z\%
Digitized
by Google
THE MOUND-BUILDERS IN MICHIGAN.
Part II.— Indian Antiquities at Springwells.
DURING the early French occupation of Detroit
several Indian nations had settlements on the
river banks, in the immediate vicinity. Conspicuous
were the Hurons, Pottawatomies and Ottawas. They
had villages strongly defended by stockades. They
raised com and many vegetables, in large quantities.
These incidents of history are recalled, because the
fact of the considerable degree of settled and civilized
habits attained by the Indian tribes of that day serves
to throw some light upon those pre-historic antiquities
whose origin and purposes are involved in so much ob-
scurity.
When I came to Detroit, in 1835, many evidences were
still existent of the old aboriginal occupation. It was
hardly possible to dig a cellar or level a hillock without
throwing out some memorial of the red races. Mingled
with their half-decayed bones were pipes and other uten-
sils of stone, broken pottery, ornaments of silver and
copper, wampum-beads of curious workmanship, the ar-
row and tomahawk of the savage, and the figured cross
of the missionary.
In striking relationship with the emblems of savage
warfare it was not uncommon to find, ** in one red burial
blent," gun-barrels, sword-blades and cannon balls, me-
mentos of the pale-faced warriors who strove on the
219
Digitized
by Google
220 ^-^^ MOUND-BUILDERS IN MICHIGAN
same battlefields. But arrow- and spear-head, and other
memorials of the savage — rude as were the artificers —
are perfect as in the day when they left the hands that
made them, while the implements of the civilized race
are nearly perished with rust. Thus does the remote
past outlive the present. The old alone is ever new,
fresh and imperishable !
To unearth a human skeleton was a common occur-
rence. They were thrown out by spade and plough, and
sometimes were seen protruding from the soil where the
action of the waves had broken into the land.
Of several skulls thus obtained and in my possession,
one is deserving of particular mention, from the fact
that it is stained through with permanent colors of red
and green. It was the custom among some tribes to
paint the face of the dead with his war-colors, but it is
not possible that these pigments, laid upon the skin,
should have penetrated the bone. A close examination
reveals the presence of a belt of color, extending around
the head, on a line with the forehead, and my conjecture
is, that the stain is a deposit from the oxidation of a cop-
per band, placed about the temples. The colors are
strong and penetrate the entire bone.
But more interesting memorials of a traditionary race
were then extant. Allusion has already been made to
tumuli at Springwells. A group of these existed on the
river front of the Reeder farm. Just below the cop-
per works the bank was very bold, and elevated about
thirty feet above the water. On this bank were two
mounds of conical form, of which one still existed at the
time of my first visit, though injured by pilferers of
Indian relics. It was then about ten feet in height, with
a base diameter of forty feet. Large excavations were
Digitized
by Google
i
DIAGRAM OF ANCIENT EARTHWORK, SPRINGWELLS, NEAR DETROIT.
Digitized
by Google
222 '^^^ MOUND-BUILDERS IN MICHIGAN.
in progress for gravel, and for clay used in the nrnriufact-
ure of brick. These encroachments had destroyed one
of the tumuli, and the whole have since disappeared.
On and around this spot, for the extent of an acre, were
thickly strewn bones and broken pottery, mingled with
shell beads, stone knives and arrow-points. Several rods
below was a smaller tumulus in a field, then covered with
forest. It did not exceed six feet in height, and is still
in good preservation, within the grounds of the United
States reservation.
In a "Gazetteer of the State of Michigan," published
by John T. Blois, in 1839, ^^ given an account of the
opening of one of these mounds two years before, which
has much interest.
The excavation was commenced on the top, and con-
tinued a depth of four feet below the base. The soil,
like that of the surrounding country, was sand, but it
exhibited a mixture of decomposed animal matter, and
occasional fragments of bone, some of which had
evidently undergone calcination. The first few feet
revealed many human skeletons, laid in a promiscuous
manner, with deposits of the usual utensils and imple-
ments, and with each were several pounds of a friable
earth, resembling Spanish brown, but which colored red
any object to which it was applied. About one foot
from the base a stratum of charcoal, three inches thick,
was penetrated. Immediately below this were found six
human skeletons, lying in different parts of the mound.
Each appeared to have been interred in a kneeling or
sitting posture. The head was invariably turned toward
the north ; the body a little inclined backwards, and the
hands supporting an earthen vessel, in the attitude of a
Digitized
by Google
TUMULI AND RELICS.
2^3
person preparing to drink. Only the long bones and
parts of the ribs and crania remained undecayed.
"The general contour of the cranium was different
from what is commonly noticed in the present Indian
races. The mouth large and broad, the face wide and
short ; the forehead exceedingly low and receding ; the
skull unusually thick; the volume of the brain quite
small. It was judged that the stature of none exceeded
five feet six inches.^*
Arrow-heads, pieces of hornstone and quartz, wrought
and unwrought, of the rudest kind, but some forming
very sharp cutting implements, were beside them. ** No
metal was discovered, but the oxide or rust of iron was
traced in the shape of a vessel, holding some two or
three gallons, which proved it to have been of iron. By
the side of one was found the remains of an uncommonly
large, white marine shell.*'
Great numbers of beads, in cylindrical form, and made
of similar shell, were found. Some had been strung,
others lay upon different parts of the body, and six were
found enclosed in the mouth. The vessels were of the
capacity of one or two gallons.
The most remarkable feature of this find is the pres-
ence of an oxide of iron, supposed to represent a vessel
of that metal. It suggests a very difficult subject of in-
quiry, for if these bodies really belonged to the pre-historic
race, as every other circumstance would imply, then are
we in conflict with the apparently well founded opinion
that the art of smelting metals, either iron or copper, was
unknown to that early race. Iron is very perishable, and
would probably be wholly consumed by rust, long before
human bones deposited at that remote era would have
crumbled away.
Digitized
by Google
224 ^^^' MOUND-BUILDERS IN MICHIGAN
In a letter from Mr. Blois written me in 1877, he con-
firms his statement made in 1839, regarding the supposed
iron vessel, by the recollection of Mr. H. Ransom, who
was present. He says he had ** broken one side of the
top before he noticed anything peculiar. He then
scraped the sand from the hollow interior, but there was
not sufficient strength in it to hold together." The ap-
pearance, he adds, was certainly that of indurated oxide
of iron, and yet the circumstance seems to him incredible.
The story of the use of these mounds by the native
tribes to a quite recent date, for intrusive burial, is very
interesting.
General Cass said that bodies were brought here from
great distances, and were even preserved frozen during
the winter, in order that they might be interred in these
favorite mausolea.
The Hon. B. F. H. Witherell, in a paper read in 1858
before the Historical Society of Michigan, stated, that in
his childhood he had seen the children of the wilderness
deposit the remains of their departed friends in the bosom
of one of these mounds. **They scooped out a shallow
grave in the centre of the top, and, after covering the
body with sand brought from the neighboring bank, the
friends of the dead man went into the river and waded
about in a zigzag course for some time, until the spirit
had departed on its long journey. The object of this
custom was, that the spirit might not be able to follow
the tracks in the sand." According to a common super-
stition, the soul of the deceased lingered for several days,
unwilling to quit his earthly belongings, and probably
this artifice was required to compel him to set forth on
his spirit travel. As a ghost cannot cross water, the
above plan was resorted to, in order that he might lose
Digitized
by Google
INTRUSIVE BURIALS,
225
sight of friends who would have otherwise attracted him
to stay too long.
" This sand hill was a favorite camping-ground with all
the Western tribes, in their annual migration from their
far off homes on the banks of the Mississippi, the shores
of Lake Superior, and the rivers and lakes of the western
forests, to receive froin the Indian agent at Maiden the
annuities so liberally furnished them by the British Gov-
ernment. At different times the Sacs, Sioux, Foxes,
Winnebagoes, Menominees, lowas, Wyandots, Pottawat-
omies, Chippewas, Tawas and other tribes congregated
at this favorite spot, and made night hideous with their
discordant yells. Here they held their war and medicine
dances. Their music was the monotonous sound of the
rude drum, beaten with unvarying stroke, frequently all
night long. It was done to drive the evil spirit off, and
sometimes indicated that a warrior was laid in his grave/'
This practice on the part of the British Government
was continued down to 1836, and I have seen the river
alive with canoes of these various tribes, as late as the
second year of my residence in Springwells.
The general level of the land in the vicinity of Detroit is
varied, over a considerable portion of the town of Spring-
wells, by ridges of sand and gravel. They mark the
shores or water-lines of the ancient lake or ocean, at
different epochs. These elevated places were often
chosen by the natives for sepulchral purposes. Until
recently it was not known that any portion of these was
artificial.
In the year 1870, in digging away a section from one
of these ridges, on land of Mr. J. H. Carstens, opposite
Fort Wayne, one of the ancient tombs was disturbed,
and the skeletons of fourteen bodies disinterred. They
Digitized
by Google
226 THE MOUND-BUILDERS IN MICHIGAN,
were in the usual contracted posture, and beside the
head of each was an earthen crock. Two of these,
which were quite perfect, were the vases described in a
former page, and now in the Archaeological Museum at
Cambridge.
Among a large number of arrow-points and other arti-
cles common to the mounds were several lance-heads of
unusual size and beauty. They were of milk-white
quartz, about 7 inches long by 3 wide, and very finely
and evenly serrated.
Among the relics was a long needle of copper, afid a
necklace of copper beads, but no vestige of iron.
There was the usual report of big bones. In this case
the large individual measured seven and a half feet in
height !
The original surface of the ground was about fifteen
feet above the general level, and consisted of drift gravel,
overlaid by yellow sand. The bodies were found at a
depth of six or seven feet from this original surface, and
were, of course, interred in these deep graves before the
tumulus, which was only three or four feet high, was
heaped above.
About half a mile below the group of SpringwellS tu-
muli already mentioned, is a small circular earthwork, of
the kind alluded to at the beginning of these observa-
tions upon the Indian antiquities of Michigan.
It consists of a low embankment, of an oval form, en-
closing about one and a half acres. The longest axis is
320 feet, the shortest 250 feet, to centre of embankment.
The latter is about twelve feet wide at base, and about
two feet in height. The ditch from which the earth was
taken is about eight feet wide, and mostly on the outer
side, but is in some places on the inner side, as though
Digitized
by Google
CIRCULAR EARTHWORK,
227
this had been a matter of indifference. At the south
end, toward the river, and about 100 feet distant, is an
opening or gateway, 50 feet wide.
The accompanying sketch will give a clearer idea of
the situation. It is upon a small area of land, about 500
feet long, and as many wide, which rises gently from the
river to the height of about six feet. No attempt seems
to have been made to level the surface within the en-
closure.
This tract of firm land is surrounded by a morass, or
open wet prairie, which upon the north and west sides
is several hundred feet wide. Upon the east this marsh
narrows to a neck about 100 feet wide, which separates
the hard-land tract from a ridge of some fifteen feet
elevation. There are traces of what appear to have once
been two parallel embankments, a few feet apart, which
crossed the neck of marsh, in a direct line towards the
circular ** fort,** if such it may be called.
Of the purpose for which this work was constructed, we
are left to conjecture. It would hardly seem to have
answered that of a fortification, as it is overlooked by
the higher land on the east, within the distance of an
arrow cast. There are no traces of a stockade, such as
have been found with similar structures in Western New
York, and attributed to the Iroquois. The width of the
gateway, and the absence of any protective mound
within, and the irregular character of the ditch hardly
accord with the supposition that it was a military work.
It might have served as a place of security for the
women and children, while the warriors were upon a war-
path, or been thrown up in some sudden emergency.
There is nothing to indicate that the enclosure sur-
rounded a village, and neither the ancient nor modern
Digitized
by Google
228 ^^^ MOUND-BUILDERS IN MICHIGAN.
races are supposed to have had herds of domesticated
animals, requiring the protection of corrals. Yet the
regularity of the work marks it as one of studied design.
When this interesting relic first came to my knowledge,
half a century ago, it was in the midst of a dense forest
and thicket, shrouded from any observation but that of
an antiquary, and cut off from roads and settlements by
the morass. Many generations had risen and passed
away since the dusky forms of its artificers were consigned
to the neighboring tumuli, and antique oaks and ram-
bling grape-vines — its sole occupants — silently told the
story of the years that had gone by,
I shall close these remarks with some account of the
great mound near the junction of the river Rouge with
the Detroit, at Del Rey, three miles below the city.
Ever since the settlement of the country this mound
has been a well-known and conspicuous feature. To the
old French habitants it was also known that it had been
used by the Indians as a burial-place. Yet its true char-
acter seems never to have been fully appreciated, and the
interest which attaches to it may warrant me in occupy-
ing some further pages in its description.
For nearly half a century, portion after portion has
been dug away and removed, by wagon load and boat
load, and little notice taken of its contents, until now it
is but a miniature of its former self. Mr. Bourdeno, who
has lived in the vicinity for more than sixty years, says
the mound originally extended from its present limits
westerly fully 500 feet, to where a bend in the Rouge
brings that river close to the highway. The mound or
hill was then 700 or 800 feet long, 400 feet wide, and not
less than forty feet high. The south side bordered close
Digitized
by Google
THE GREAT MOUND AT RIVER ROUGE.
229
on the river for its whole length. It was symmetrical in
form, and the slopes were about as steep as the sand, of
which most of it was composed, could be retained. Not
only has it been reduced more than half the entire
length, but more than half also of its width on the river
side. Little of the original shape now remains, and the
present extreme height nowhere exceeds thirty feet
above the stream.
But little examination is needed to show that some
part at least of the elevation is natural, for a stratum of
gravel appears below ten or more feet of sand, which
evidently belongs to the drift that has left many similar
deposits over this region. A portion of the overlying
sand may be ascribed to the same source, but I think
the fact will be made evident that a considerable part of
the original, and even of the present elevation, is artifi-
cial.
The situation is such as would be chosen by the
Mound-Builders, over all others, for a resting-place and
monument to their dead. It is most picturesque. At
the base, circling nearly two sides of the mound, lay the
deep waters of the river Rouge. Beyond stretched a
field of natural meadow, to the river Detroit, half a mile
distant, and visible for many miles of its course. To
the south and west were seen Grosse Isle and the chan-
nel leading past Maiden to Lake Erie. Above stretched
the straits, as far as the site of the city, while north-
ward the view commands many miles of rolling country.
The tumulus must have been visible from a great dis-
tance, in every direction.
Much as has been lost by the wanton destruction of
this instructive monument, enough is disclosed to show
that this huge mound has been the memorial of many
Digitized
by Google
O
O
■ Pi
>
O
O
a
■ H
230
Digitized
by Google
FESTIVAL OF THE DEAD. 23 1
interesting and marvellous events. From the immense
number of skeletons found within it, and the mode of
their occurrence, there can be little doubt that it was
one of these national sepulchres of the Hurons, and
other Algonquin tribes, where were deposited the
remains of their dead, that had been carefully kept for
the purpose, until the flesh had disappeared, and the
proper season had arrived for the great '* Festival of the
dead."
This was attended, amid the general gathering of the
tribes, with many ceremonies, to which I shall only
briefly allude. The festival has been so. well described
in the 15th Canto of Teuch-sa-Grondie^ by our lamented
townsman, Levi Bishop, that I refer the curious to that
poem for its full illustration.
Until this ceremony had taken place the spirits of the
dead were supposed to wander restlessly about, as did
the unburied Romans on the borders of the Styx.
" Departed spirits linger still, —
Their vacant place in cabin fill;
Awaiting for the festal day.
To speed them on their destined way,-^
To final home, — to land afar —
To land beyond the evening star."
When the appointed time has arrived
" — the recent dead
Are lifted from their temporary bed, •
The relics — shapeless forms, in swift de<j^y,
The mouldy bones, without the lifeless clay,
Of both the sexes, and of young and old ;
The child, the lover, sachem, chieftain bold, —
A frightful throng, a melancholy train,
Come forth their final resting-place to gain."
Digitized
by Google
232
THE MOUND-BUILDERS IN MICHIGAN.
The dismal process of cleansing the bones — the expos-
ure of the remains to the view of mourning friends — the
decoration in the richest furs — the display of gifts des-
tined for sacrifice, — the procession — the harangue — the
dance — the games — the feast — the solemn song, broken
at intervals by the long-measured, dreary funeral wail,
simulating voices of disembodied souls, winging their
way to the land of spirits, — the promiscuous casting of
the remains into one general pit, amid *'a weeping,
shrieking, howling concourse ** of guests and mourners,
gathered from the whole nation, all illuminated by the
midnight glare of blazing torches and camp-fires, consti-
tuted a scene unique as it was solemn and awful ; one of
those mysteries of the past that is never to return.
" Two fathoms deep the burial pit,
And twice two ample fathoms wide ;
A circle that might well admit
A thousand bodies, side by side.' *
The Jesuit Relations of 1636 tell us of a place of this
kind set apart among the Hurons in Canada, before their
fatal dispersion by the Iroquois, where they were accus-
tomed to inter their dead in one common sepulchre,
heaping above them the funeral mound. This ceremony
took place once in ten or twelve years.*
That the river Rouge mound was of this character
there is much cumulative evidence to prove. Mr. Bour-
deno has seen hundreds of skeletons removed in the dig-
ging down of the hill. He says that in some parts there
seems to have been a " cellar,** which was filled with
bones, mingled indiscriminately.
* It is matter of history that a portion of this nation, which escaped the
massacre on Lake Huron, fled to and settled below Detroit, where they
were known as Wyandots.
Digitized
by Google
CREMATION AND OTHER BURIAL RITES, 233
Squire Ludlow, an old resident, also gives similar ac-
counts of the number of skeletons disinterred. His
statement goes further, as to their immense quantities,
much of which he collected and buried elsewhere. Thou-
sands of fragments of human bones still lie bleaching on
the sand, mingled with sherds of pottery and other relics.
Powerful as is the interest which attaches to this hill
of the dead from this proof of its character, it presents
other points of interest.
It affords certain evidence that cremation was practised
by the Mound-Builders of this region. It was also, in all
probability, a sacred or " altar " mound. In the account
given me by Bourdeno he states, that in other parts of
the mound than those containing the " cellars,** much
charcoal and ashes were found, mingled with burned
bones. With these were many pieces of large pots, but
all were broken. The latter fact is consonant with the
theory of cremation, for on these occasions the relics,
instead of being buried whole with the dead, as in ordi-
nary cases, were thrown upon the burning pile, and of
course suffered partial destruction.
Another phase in the history'of this mound is related
by Bourdeno, viz., that in Pontiac*s time, and before the
fatal ambuscade at Bloody Run, there occurred at this
place a massacre of British soldiers by the Indians, and
that the dead were buried in this mound. I am not
aware that history alludes to this event, but the fact that
many bodies of white soldiers have been interred in the
hill is evident, from the character of the skulls found in a
certain part of it, and from the attendant relics, such as
pieces of scabbards, buttons and other portions of military
equipment, which have escaped decay.
During old territorial times the mound was made to
Digitized
by Google
234 '^^^ MOUND-BUILDERS IN MICHIGAN
subserve the living. A house was erected on the sum-
mit, near the east end, which was at first a trading-post
for the Indians. It has been gone many years, — all ex-
cept a large quantity of bricks and mortar, and other
rubbish. The relic-hunter finds over the whole surface a
curious intermingling of the old and the new ; — glass,
pieces of crockery, iron and other articles of modern
housekeeping are in close communion with flint imple-
ments, antique pot-sherds, and Indian trinkets, and with
bits of brass and iron that once belonged to the accoutre-
ments of the British soldier.
Desirous of more fully determining the true character
of the mound, a few years ago I proceeded, in company
with Messrs. Henry Gillman and H. G. Hubbard, to a
practical investigation.
Having determined, as nearly as possible, the central
axis of the original mound, we proceeded to open a
trench near to it, and through the highest part now re-
maining, a portion of which seemed to have been undis-
turbed and was still covered with sod.
This trench was commenced on the river side, near the
top, six feet wide and five deep, and was continued
northerly for the distance of ten feet before anything ap-
peared to reward the labor, except an English half-penny
of George III.,*and a United States cent of 1829. These
were found about four feet below the surface of the
digging. We then struck a skull. This was dug care-
fully around, and the skeleton exposed. It lay with the
head to the east, and was so doubled together and
crushed, that the whole occupied a space not more than
two feet long by four inches thick.
It had evidently originally been placed in a sitting
posture. The skull was so much flattened and decayed
Digitized
by Google
EXPLORATION OF RIVER ROUGE MOUND,
235
as to render it impossible to determine the shape or size.
The ribs and most of the vertebrae and smaller bones had
perished, but the larger bones of the arms and legs were
sufficiently perfect to be removed. The flattening of the
tibia, first pointed out by Mr. Gillman as characteristic
of the most ancient human remains In this region, was
very observable.
On the south side of the head was a small pot, com-
posed of baked clay, which was also so flattened and de-
cayed that it could be removed only in fragments. This
skeleton was only three feet below the surface, but how
many feet had been originally heaped over it it was im-
possible to say.
To the west, and about two feet from the above and
one foot deeper, was a mass apparently composed of
burned human remains. It formed a dark, reddish soil,
several inches thick, and quite hard and compact* It oc-
cupied a space two feet by one and a half, and four
inches thick. Close to this were a few unbumed por-
tions of a skeleton, and a perfectly formed greenstone
**celt."
At about the same distance from the skeleton first
mentioned, and a foot lower down, was another mass of
cinders. Still deeper, and at a foot remove to the west,
was another mass of considerably larger extent, and a
foot thick.
Among these masses of compacted cinder were several
large nodules of irregular form, and of a yellowish-red
color, which seemed held together by a cement of iron
rust. Nothing, however, beyond this indicated that these
might once have composed vessels of iron. The lowest
of the compacted masses was five feet beneath the
present surface. That they consisted in part of burned
Digitized
by Google
236 ^^^ MOUND-BUILDERS IN MICHIGAN
human bones there could be no doubt, and they establish
the fact of cremation beyond question.
In excavating another trench at a lower part of the
mound, we came, at a depth of two feet, upon what^ ap-
peared, from its. color and character, to have at one period
constituted the original surface. A few itiches below
this was disclosed a stratum of black earth, composed of
cinders and burned bones, the extent of which was traced
at several points, and found to constitute a bed not less
than twenty feet square. On the disturbed surface was
found a spot covered with broken fragments of clay.
This, as the matrix is entirely sand, may be presumed to
be an artificial deposit. It may have formed part of an
"altar," or clay hearth, such as are pointed out bySquier
in his so-called " Altar Mounds ** of Ohio.
Continuing the excavations beneath the sodded portion
of the mound, at three feet from the surface we uncovered
numerous skeletons. They were disposed irregularly, as
though hastily buried. The skulls and some of the bones
were in tolerably perfect preservation. Quite a number
were those of babes. Some of the crania were shattered,
as if from heavy blows. Two of them exhibited a round
hole at the apex, made by some sharp instrument after
death. The rimming is plainly visible, and the holes are
about half an inch diameter.
We now sunk a shaft or well into the sand at the place
where the hard, cemented masses were discovered. This
was continued to the depth of eight feet, and here were
found numerous nodules or lumps of a white substance,
which proved to be disintegrated bone. These continued
in considerable numbers through the succeeding three
feet, when the digging was discontinued. How much
Digitized
by Google
A VAST NECROPOLIS, 337
lower still these singular masses continue was left unde-
termined.
There was no appearance of the sand having ever been
disturbed, yet the presence of these bones made evident
either that interments had taken place at this great depth
of more than ten feet, or that the earth had accumulated
since the deposition. It is entirely improbable that any
of the Indian races buried their dead in graves of that
extreme depth, for no such custom is known. And as
these occur immediately below the undoubted Indian
remains first mentioned, it is apparent that interments
took place during long intervals of time, the earth heaped
above the first being a foundation for a new interment,
bodies being sometimes buried entire and sometimes
burned, the remains being covered, like the others, with
a fresh deposit of sand. Thus year by year, and cycle
by cycle, the mound grew in height and proportions.
Since the discovery of the two perforated skulls others
have come to light, similarly treated, elsewhere in the
State. The condition of these crania indicates that they
are comparatively modern. For what purpose were these
perforations? A suggestion has been made, and it ac-
cords with the known a^lxieties of the Indian, that the
holes were for giving more speedy release to the spirit
from its earthly tenement. Another supposition is of a
very practical kind, that they were intended as a means
of suspending the skull in view of the friends of the de-
ceased, until the time of the great festival of inhumation.
We must regard this great mound — now being so ruth-
lessly destroyed — as a vast necropolis, containing the
dead of many centuries, belonging both to the prehistoric
past and to our modern era.
In this beautiful spot the red man of all those departed
Digitized
by Google
238
THE MOUND-BUILDERS IN MICHIGAN
eras, perhaps from many now forgotten nations, desired
to make his final rest after the toils and pleasures of life
were ended, and to be gathered to his fathers in the place
where reposed the bones of generations gone before. To
his limited comprehension this tumulus of sand was
stable as an Egyptian pyramid, for it was secured by
religious veneration.
Many a time had his canoe paused at this place, and
landing, he had ascended the ancient mound, while his
eye roamed over the wide expanse of river and marsh and
land in search of friendly forms, or, it may be, of parties
of his foes, creeping stealthily along its sandy shores.
Here, as tradition tells, the great Pontiac resorted — that
stem, uncompromising foe of the Anglo-Saxon. Where
but upon the graves of their ancestors, could he so
worthily arouse the hearts of the living to resist their
oppressors? And here, when hope had perished, may
this savage hero have come to muse upon the past and
its faded glories. What shades would throng around him
if each skeleton form of the thousands that lay below
could answer to his summons !
** From graves forgotten stretch their dusty hands,
And hold in mortmain still their old estates.' '
Within even the brief period of the ascendency of the
Anglo-Saxon in this region, how much of the past has
been forgotten ! Who can tell the story of that fierce
struggle which took place on this spot, when the two
races that in life had been so distinct and hostile, mingled
together in death in a common mausoleum, that covered
alike their bones and their animosities ?
And now, how changed the scene ! The same noble
river, in undeviating flood, rolls its waters to the lake,
but the canoe of the red man has given place to the
Digitized
by Google
PAST AND PRESENT. 239
winged barks of commerce, the barge and the steamer.
The protecting forests have been superseded by culti-
vated farms and village streets, and smoking factories.
In the distance rise to view the spires and buildings of a
proud and prosperous city. The whoop of the savage
and his funeral howl are supplanted by the hum of an
untiring, practical industry.
Still, as of old, the warm sunshine rests upon this spot ;
the sparkling waters lave its base ; the winds blow over it
from the not distant lake, scattering the dust that once
animated human forms. But the beings these cheered in
the olden time have all perished from the land ; their his-
tory is but a fading dream, and the proud pile which they
created to immortalize their memory has nearly disap-
peared, and will soon have vanished altogether, in the
progress of an unheeding and remorseless civilization.
Digitized
by Google
Digitized
by Google
ANCIENT GARDEN BEDS OF
MICHIGAN.
Digitized
by Google
Digitized
by Google
ANCIENT GARDEN BEDS OF MICHIGAN.*
A CLASS of works of the Mound-Builders exists in
Michigan, of unknown age and origin, which have
received the name of ** Garden-Beds."
An unusual importance attaches to these remains of a
lost race, from the fact that they have been almost en-
tirely overlooked by archaeologists, and that of those
which were so numerous and prominent forty, or even
thirty years ago, nearly every trace has disappeared.
For any knowledge beyond the scanty details hitherto
recorded we are forced to rely upon the recollections of
the " oldest inhabitants." We know how uncertain this
reliance often is, and were it otherwise, we cannot but
recognize the rapidity with which we are losing our hold
of this kind of testimony, and the very brief period at
which it must cease altogether.
The earliest mention of these relics which I find is
by Haven, in his ** Archaeology of the United States.*'
It is the report of Verandrier, who, with several French
associates, explored this region before 1748. He found
in the western wilderness " large tracts free from wood,
many of which are everywhere covered with furrows, as
if they had formerly been ploughed and sown.*'
Schoolcraft was the first to give to the world any accu-
♦ Read before the State Pioneer Society, February 7, 1877, and published
in the American Antiquarian.
243
Digitized
by Google
244 ANCIENT GARDEN BEDS OF MICHIGAN
rate and systematic account of these " furrows." Indeed,
he is the only author of note who honors this interesting
class of the works of the Mound-Builders with more than
the most meagre mention. Observations were made by
him as early as 1827. He gives figures of two kinds of
beds, and he records the fact, that " the garden-beds^ and
not the mounds, form the most prominent, and, by far,
the most striking and characteristic antiquarian monu-
ments of this district of country.**
Another writer of early date, still resident of our State,
John T. Blois, published, in 1839, '^ ^^^ "Gazetteer of
Michigan,** a detailed description, with a diagram, of one
kind of the beds.
No mention is made of these remains by Priest or by
Baldwin. Foster devotes to them less than a single page
of his voluminous work, and only says, in effect, that
** they certainly indicate a methodical cultivation which
was not practised by the red man.*'
Dr. Lapham describes a few of this kind of remains
which were found upon the western shore of Lake Mich-
igan, as " consisting of low parallel ridges, as if corn had
been planted in drills. They average four feet in width,
and twenty-five of them have been counted in the space
of one hundred feet.'*
Yet these relics constitute a unique feature in the anti-
quities of our country. They are of especial interest to
us, from the fact that they were not only the most prom-
inent of our antiquities, but, with the exception referred
to in Wisconsin, they are confined to our State.
Some investigations, by no means thorough, enable me
to define more accurately and fully than has been hereto-
fore done the different kinds of these beds, which I shall
attempt to classify, according to the most reliable infor-
Digitized
by Google
TBBIR KINDS AND CHARACTER,
245
mation obtained. But I must first define their situation,
extent and character.
The so-called *' Garden-Beds " were found in the val-
leys of the St. Joseph and Grand rivers, where they oc-
cupied the most fertile of the prairie land and burr-oak
plains, principally in the counties of St. Joseph, Cass and
Kalamazoo.
They consist of raised patches of ground, separated by
sunken paths, and were generally arranged in plats or
blocks of parallel beds. These varied in dimensions,
being from five to sixteen feet in width, in length from
twelve to more than one hundred feet, and in height six
to eighteen inches.
The tough sod of the prairie had preserved very
sharply all the outlines. According to the universal tes-
timony, these beds were laid out and fashioned with a
skill, order and symmetry which distinguished them from
the ordinary operations of agriculture, and were com-
bined with some peculiar features that belong to no
recognized system of horticultural art.
In the midst of diversity, sufficient uniformity is dis-
coverable to enable me to group the beds and gardens, as
in the following
CLASSIFICATION :
1. Wide convex beds, in parallel rows, without paths,
composing independent plats. (Width of beds, 12
feet; paths, none; length, 74 to 115 feet.) Fig. i.
2. Wide convex beds, in parallel rows, separated by
paths of same width, in independent plats. (Width
of bed, 12 to 16 feet ; paths same ; length, 74 to 132
feet.) Fig. 2.
3. Wide and parallel beds, separated by narrow paths,
Digitized
by Google
246 ANCIENT GARDEN BEDS OF MICHIGAN
arranged in a series of plats longitudinal to each
other. (Width of beds, 14 feet ; paths, 2 feet ;
length, 100 feet.) Fig. 3.
4. Long and narrow beds, separated by narrower paths
and arranged in a series of longitudinal plats, each
plat divided from the next by semi-circular heads.
(Width of beds, 5 feet; paths, i^ feet; length,
100 feet ; height, 18 inches.) Fig. 4.
5. Parallel beds, arranged in plats similar to class 4, but
divided by circular heads. (Width of beds, 6 feet ;
paths, 4 feet ; length, 12 to 40 feet ; height, 18
inches.) Fig. 5.
6. Parallel beds, of varying widths and lengths, separated
by narrow paths, and ' arranged in plats of two or
more at right angles N. and S., E. and W., to the
plats adjacent. (Width of beds, 5 to 14 feet ;
paths, I to 2 feet; length, 12 to 30 feet; height, 8
inches.) Figures a, b and c^ are varieties. Fig. 6.
7. Parallel beds, of uniform width and length, with
narrow paths, arranged in plats or blocks, and single
beds, at varying angles. (Width of beds, 6 feet ;
paths, 2 feet ; length, about 30 feet ; height, 10 to
12 inches.) Fig. 7.
8. Wheel-shaped plats, consisting of a circular bed, with
beds of uniform shape and size radiating therefrom,
all separated by narrow paths. (Width of beds, 6
to 20 feet; paths, i foot; length, 14 to 20 feet.)
Fig. 8.
I present diagrams of each of these classes or kinds of
beds. Of these only those numbered i, 2 and 4 have
ever before been delineated, to my knowledge. (See
figures i to 8, pages 257-261.) Nos. 3 and 5 cire
Digitized
by Google
AT THREE RIVERS,
H7
described by Schoolcraft and Blois, while the others
are figured as well — i and 2 by Schoolcraft and 4 by
Blois. No. 3, according to the latter, consists of five
plats, each 100 feet long, 20 beds in each plat. School-
craft does not give the exact localities, and I am unable
to state whether beds of the same class have been no-
ticed by other observers. As to their extent, his lan-
guage is, " The beds are of various sizes, covering gener-
ally from 20 to 100 acres." Some are reported to
embrace even 300 acres. Plats of beds are undoubtedly
here referred to.
Of the plat figured by Blois (No. 4), the writer says :
" They are found a short distance from Three Rivers, on
one side of an oval prairie, surrounded by burr-oak plains.
The prairie contains three hundred acres. The garden
is judged to be half a mile in length by one-third in
breadth, containing about one hundred acres, regularly
laid out in beds running north and south, in the form of
parallelograms, five feet in width and one hundred in
length, and eighteen inches deep.*' The distinctive pe-
culiarity of these beds is what Blois calls the " semi-
lunar" head, at the extremity of each bed, separated
from them by a path as represented.
Class 6, so far as my own inquiries warrant, represents
the form and arrangement which is most common, viz.:
that of a series of parallel beds formed into blocks of two
or more, alternating with other similar blocks placed at
right angles to them. (See figures ^, b and r.) The pre-
vailing width of the bed is five or six feet, and that of
the paths one and a half to two feet. The lengjh of the
plats or blocks varies, the average being about twenty
feet. Gardens of this kind were found by the early set-
Digitized
by Google
248 ANCIENT GAkDEN BEDS OE MICHIGAN
tiers at Schoolcraft, the burr-oak plains at Kalamazoo,
Toland's prairie, Prairie-Ronde, and elsewhere.
Mr. Henry Little says, that in 1831 they were very nu-
merous on the plains where now stands the village of
Kalamazoo ; and south of the mound, eight or ten acres
were entirely covered by them.
Mr. E. Laken Brown confirms this account, and saiys
they reminded him of old New England gardens, being
very regular and even, and the beds five feet by twelve
or fourteen feet. In 1832 the outlines were very distinct,
and the burr-oak trees on them as large as any in the vi-
cinity. Mr. A. T. Prouty concurs as to the extent cov-
ered, but thinks the beds were six feet wide by twenty-five
to forty long. On the farm of J. T. Cobb, section 7, town
of Schoolcraft, the beds were quite numerous as late as
i860. There must have been 15 acres of them on his
land. The " sets " would average five or six beds each.
Neighbors put the number of acres covered with them
in 1830, within the space of a mile, at one hundred.
Fig, 6'b, of class 6, is from a drawing by James R.
Cumings, of Galesburg, of a garden in which the beds are
of more than usual diversity in width and length. H. M.
Shafter and Roswell Ransom, old settlers, say that three
or four acres on the edge of the prairie, at this place,
were covered with the beds. On the farm of the latter
in the town of Comstock, of one hundred acres, there
were not less than ten acres of beds, six feet by twenty-
five to forty, arranged in alternate blocks, having a north-
and-south and east-and-west direction.
Fig. G-Cy is from a drawing by Mr. Shafter.
The series represented by Class 7 (fig. 7) were found
at Prairie-Ronde. They are platted and described to me
by Messrs. Cobb and Prouty. They differ from the more
Digitized
by Google
AT KALAMAZOO AND PRAIRIE-RONDE.
249
ordinary form of No. 6, in the arrangement of the blocks
or sets of beds, which is here not at right angles, but at
various and irregular angles, also in the single beds out-
lying. The number of beds in each block is also greater
than usual.
Class 8 is established on the authority of Henry Little
and A. T. Prouty, of Kalamazoo. The figure delineated
is from the descriptions and dimensions given by the for-
mer. The diameter of the circular bed and the length of
the radiating ones are each twenty-five to thirty feet.
The latter describes two of similar design, but of smaller
dimensions, the centre bed being only six feet in diame-
ter, and the radiating ones twenty feet. All occurred at
Kalamazoo, and in immediate association with the other
forms of beds at that place, represented generally by
Class 6.
There is reason for supposing that there may have
existed another class of beds, differing altogether from
any I have represented, from expressions used by bdth
Schoolcraft and Blois. The former speaks of ** enigmat-
ical plats of variously shaped beds ; '* and further, ** nearly
all the lines of each area or sub-area of beds arc rectan-
gular and parallel. Others admit of half circles and
variously curved beds, with avenues, and are differently
grouped and disposed."
The latter says, the beds "appear in various fanciful
shapes'' Some are laid off in rectilineal and curvilineal
figures, either distinct or combined in a fantastic manner,
in parterres and scolloped work, with alleys between,
and apparently ample walks leading in different direc-
tions."
This language is too vague to enable me to construct
a diagram, nor have I any confirmation to offer from
Digitized
by Google
250
ANCIENT GARDEN BEDS OF MICHIGAN
other sources. The reputation of the writers will not
allow us to consider the descriptions fanciful, but it is
possible to suppose they were misled by the representa-
tions of others.
Were these vegetable gardens? To answer this ques-
tion, we must proceed according to the doctrine of
probabilities. All opinions seem to agree, that these
relics denote some species of cultivation ; and that they
are very different from those left by the field culture
of any known tribes of Indians. Nor do we find any sim-
ilar remains in' connection with the works of the Mound-
Builders, which exist, on so extensive a scale, through the
valley of the Mississippi River, although those unknown
builders were undoubtedly an agricultural people.
The principal crop of the Indians is maize, and this
was never cultivated by them in rows^ but in hillsy often
large but always disposed in a very irregular manner.
As little do these beds resemble the deserted fields of
modern agriculture. On the other hand^ the resemblance
of many of the plats to the well-laid out garden beds of
our own day is very striking ; while the curvilinear forms
suggest analogies quite as strong to the modern ^^ pleas-
ure garden*'
The nearest approach to anything resembling horticult-
ural operations among Indian tribes, within the historic
period, is noticed by Jones, who refers to a practice,
among some of the southern Indians, of setting apart
separate pieces of ground for each family. This author
quotes from Captain Ribault's ^* Discovery of Terra
Florida,** published in London, 1563. ** They labor and
till the ground, sowing the fields with a grain called
Mahis, whereof they make their meal, and in their gar-
dens they plant beans, gourds, cucumbers, citrons, peas,
Digitized
by Google
GARDENESQUE STYLES. 2$!
and many other fruits and roots unknown to us. Their
spades and mattocks are made of wood, so well and fitly
as is possible."
In the St. Joseph Valley I learned of numerous places,
widely apart, where the labor and skill of our ancient
horticulturists were apparent in small gardens, laid out in
different styles, and with an eye to the picturesque ; as if
each family had not only its separate garden patch, but
had used it for the display of its own peculiar taste.
Historians tell us of the Aztecs^ that they had gardens
in which were cultivated various plants, for medicinal
uses, as well as for ornament. Was there something
analogous to this in the Michigan Nation ? Did the
latter also have botanical gardens ? May we accord to
this unknown people a considerable advance in science, in
addition to a cultivated taste, and an eye for symmetry
and beauty, which is without precedent among the pre-
historic people of this continent, north of Mexico ?
These extensive indications of ancient culture neces-
sarily imply a settled and populous community. We are
led, therefore, to look for other evidences of the num-
bers and character of the people who made them. But
here an extraordinary fact presents itself; such evidences
are almost wanting ! The testimony of nearly every one
whom I have consulted — men who were among the first
of the white race to break up the sod, that for ages had
consecrated these old garden lands — agrees in the fact,
that almost none of the usual aboriginal relics were
found ; no pottery ; no spear- and arrow-heads ; no im-
plements of stone ; not even the omnipresent pipe.
Tumuli, or burial mounds of the red man, are not un-
common, though not numerous, in Western Michigan,
but have no recognized association with the garden race.
Digitized
by Google
252
ANCIENT GARDEN BEDS OF MICHIGAN
Upon the St. Joseph and Colorado rivers, and in the
town of Prairie-Ronde, exist several small circular and
rectangular embankments, resembling the lesser works of
the Mound-Builders so numerous in Ohio. But no con-
nection can be traced between these detached earthworks
and the garden-beds. None of them seem to have been
the bases of buildings, nor do they give indication of any
religious origin or rites. There are no traces of dwell-
ings, and the soil which has so sacredly preserved the
labor of its occupants, discloses not even their bones !
At Three Rivers, and in Gilead, Branch County, are
some ancient embankments, which are probably referable
to this people, and may pass for works of defence. That
at the first named place was notably extensive. It con-
sisted only of an earth embankment, about six feet in
height, extending between two forks of a river, a mile
apart. It thus enclosed a large area, and with a sufficient
garrison might have withstood the siege of a large army
of barbarous warriors.
It seems strange, indeed, that these garden beds, sug-
gestive as they are, should be the only memorials of a
race which has left such an evidence of civilized advance-
ment, and was worthy of more enduring monuments!
We may reasonably conclude, that they were a people of
peaceable disposition^ of laborious habits, and of aesthetic
if not scientific tastes ; that they lived in simple and
patriarchal style, subsisting on the fruits of the earth,
rather than of the chase. Their dwellings and their tools
were of wood, and have perished. This simple record of
their character and labors is all, it may be, we can ever
know.
But is this all? May we not form some reasonable
Digitized
by Google
ORIGIN AND AGE— CONJECTURES. 253
conjecture as to the period in which these gardeners
lived?
A fact mentioned by Dr. Lapham furnishes a species
of evidence, as to the relative antiquity of the garden
beds of Wisconsin, as compared with the animal mounds.
They were found overlying the latter; from which he
infers, of course, a more recent origin. We may also
suppose a considerably more recent age, since it is not
likely that the race could have thus encroached upon the
works of another, until long after these had been aban-
doned, and their religious or other significance forgotten.
The date of the abandonment of the beds may be ap-
proximately fixed, by the age of the trees found growing
upon them. One of these mentioned by Schoolcraft, cut
dowti in 1837, had 335 cortical layers. This carries the
period back as far as 1502, or some years prior to the
discovery of this country by the French. How long
these labors were abandoned befofe this tree commenced
its growth may not be susceptible of proof. Early
French explorers do not appear to have been interested
in the question, and it does not seem to me necessary to
go further back than the three centuries during which
that tree flourished, for a period quite long enough to
have crumbled into indistinguishable dust every trace
of wooden dwellings and implements, as well as of the
bodies of their fabricators, if the latter received only
simple earth burial.
At the time of the arrival of the French the country
was in possession of Algonquin tribes, who emigrated
from the St. Lawrence about the middle of the i6th cent-
ury. They were ignorant of the authors of these works,
and were not more advanced in the arts of culture than
the other known tribes.
Digitized
by Google
254
ANCIENT GARDEN BEDS OF MICHIGAN.
It IS probable that the few defensive works I have
mentioned were erected by this settled and peaceful
race of gardeners, as places of temporary refuge for the
women and children, against the raids of the warlike
tribes living eastward of them. The larger one may have
served for the general defence in a time of sudden and
great emergency. It is probable that on some such occa-
sion they were surprised by their savage and relentless
foes, and were overwhelmed, scattered or exterminated.
Most of the facts I have been able to present are gath-
ered, in large part, from the memories — of course not
always exact or reliable — of early settlers, and after
modern culture had for many years obliterated the old.
It is perhaps useless to regret that these most inter-
esting and unique relics of a lost people have so com-
pletely perished, through the greed of the dominant
race ; or that they could not have received, while they
yet remained, the mc^re exact and scientific scrutiny
which is now being applied to the antiquities of our land.
Much that might then have been cleared up, must now
remain forever involved in mystery, or be left to conject-
ure.
In September, 1885, the writer visited the region of
the ancient garden beds, in hopes of being so fortunate
as to find some remaining. He did discover, near School-
craft, on a plat of land which had been recently cleared
of its timber, a few traces of beds, belonging to a set,
most of which had been broken up by the plough.
Four or five beds could be distinctly traced, for the
distance of some ten to fifteen feet. The remainder of
th^ir lengths, said to be some twenty to thirty feet, had
Digitized
by Google
LA TER INVES TIG A TIONS, 255
been obliterated by cultivation. Each bed had a width
of about ten feet from centre to centre of the interven-
ing paths. The latter had apparently a width of two or
three feet, but it was impossible to define the exact out-
lines.
After much inquiry I could learn of no other place in
or near Prairie-Ronde, or the plains of St. Joseph and
Kalamazoo coiinties, where any traces of the old garden
beds remained.
Mr. Cobb informed me that about 1859 ^^ endeavored
to preserve portions of a set of these beds, which were
well covered by tough, protective prairie sod. But
when the white grub took possession of the turf there-
abouts his ancient garden reserve did not "escape. In a
year or two the hogs, in their search for the grub, had so
rooted and marred the outlines that he ploughed the
beds up.
I found many old residents who well remembered
the garden plats as they appeared a half century ago, and
all concurred in the admiration excited by their peculiar
character and the perfection of their preservation. Mr.
Cobb says, he often took his friends to see his " ancient
garden,** counted the beds, and speculated upon their
object. The set of beds, which is shown only partially in
his sketch (Fig. 7), contained thirteen beds, and was the
largest of the sets. The others averaged five or six beds
each.
All concurred, too, as to the great extent of land,
amounting to several hundred acres, covered, wholly or
partially, by the beds, chiefly upon the northern edge of
the prairie. That all visible evidence of their existence
should have so completely disappeared is not surprising
to any one wTio notes their situation, upon the richest
Digitized
by Google
256 ANCIENT GARDEN BEDS OF MICHIGAN,
portions of the mixed prairies and plains. The lands
most esteemed by the garden race were those which first
attracted the modern farmer. These lands still consti-
tute fields as beautiful.as the eye can anywhere rest upon,
and in a region second in loveliness to no other part of
our country. The wants of the early settler almost pre-
clude any care for the preservation of what was regarded
as mere curiosities. Even when spared from the plough,
and left to the care of nature, the absence of the annual
fires, which had prevented the growth of timber; the
roots of trees upheaving the beds;. the decay of fallen
timber ; the hummocks caused by upturned roots ; the
destruction of the turf by the forest growth, and by cattle
and hogs, all tend to deface the beds, and leave them to
be reduced to the general level by the elements. Under
these circumstances, a few years even would suffice to ob-
literate outlines which had remained almost unaltered
for centuries.
Digitized
by Google
Fig. I.
156 ft.
Fig. 2.
132 ft.
ANCIENT GARDEN BEDS, GRAND RIVER VALLEY, MICHIGAN.
(SCHOOLCRAFl*. )
Digitized
by Google
Fig. 3-
looft.
GARDEN PLATS, ST. JOSEPH RIVER VALLEY. (SCHOOLCRAFT.)
Fig. 4.
ICO fit.
ST. JOSEPH RIVER VALLEY. (BLOTS.)
258
Digitized
by Google
Fig- S
12 to 40 ft.
ANCIENT GARDEN PLATS, WESTERN MICHIGAN.
Fig. 6.
ANCIENT GARDEN PLAT, GALESBURG, MICH.
259
Digitized
by Google
Fig. 6.
ANCIENT GARDEN PLATS, KALAMAZOO COUNTY.
260
Digitized
by Google
Fig. 7.
ANCIENT GARDEN PLATS, PRAIRIE-RONDE, MICH.
Fig. 8.
ANCIENT GARDEN PLAT, KALAMAZOO, MICH.
Digitized by VjOOQIC
Digitized
by Google
FISH AND FISHING.
Digitized
by Google
1
" Piscator. I hope I may take as great a liberty to blame any man, and
laugh al him too, let him be never so grave, that hath not heard what an-
glers can say in the justification of their art and recreation ; which I may
again tell you, is so full of pleasure that we need not borrow their thoughts,
to think ourselves happy.'*
*' But the poor fish have enemies enough, besides such unnatural fisher-
men ; (natural enemies) against all which any honest man may make a just
quarrel — ^but I will not- I will leave them to be quarrelled with and killed
by others : for I am not of a cruel nature, I love to kill nothing but fish." —
IzAAK Walton, Complete Angler,
Digitized
by Google
FISH AND FISHING.
Springwells, , 1 84 1.
DEAR TOM:— What you ask of me will, I fear,
prove in the recording of less interest than you are
pleased to anticipate. Nevertheless you stimulate me to
the attempt.
I confess to but little of the zeal of honest Izaak
Walton, and accomplish scarcely any exploits in the pis-
catory line. Nor have we any rippling brooks, whose
active inhabitants, brilliant and shy, call forth the high-
est exercise of the art. But our clear and rapid river
abounds in excellent fish, of many noted kinds. To
manage the pole and line, however it may require some
skill, seems to me but a lazy sport, in our broad stream,
compared with the ways and means for ensnaring the
shy denizens of the smaller water courses. Unfortu-
nately there is not a trout brook, that is, a stream con-
taining real " brook trout,'* in the whole peninsula.
In admitting this I derogate nothing from the purity
of our waters. No element can be more fresh and lim-
pid than that which flows in such immense volume di-
rectly before me. Neither have we the eel, which de-
lights in sluggish and muddy waters: none have been
found above the falls of Niagara. The moment the
Straits of Mackinaw are crossed the brook trout is found
in abundance, in all the rills of the upper peninsula.
Some other reason exists for the absence of this fish from
the lower streams than the character of their waters, for
265
Digitized
by Google
266 ^^SH AND FISHING.
all these, as well as the interior lakes that exist so nu-
merously in Michigan, abound in the same kinds of fish as
are found in the Eastern States. And we have in the
" grayling *' of our peninsula as gamy a fish, as brilliant
in color and of as handsome form, and as delicate in the
eating, as the true brook trout. Many sportsmen, as
well as gourmands, indeed, give him the preference.
I have two prosaic methods of capturing some of
our finest Detroit River fish, which involve little trouble
and no waste of time. One is by " night lines." A
strong cord is needed, with large hook and sinker, and
the best bait is pork. This line is fastened, at one end,
to the shore, and is carried out at evening to the dis-
tance of several rods by boat, or is thrown by force of
arm as far out as possible. It sinks to the bottom and
remains until morning, when it is drawn in, and usually
affords me the satisfaction of taking off a large pike or
pickerel, or a black bass. Sometimes, it is true, my rea-
sonable expectations are disappointed, by a huge cat-head
or a dog-fish. Such are generally thrown away as worth-
less, but having learned the secret of cooking properly,
they prove to be no despicable food. So you see " all
is fish that comes to my net." In fact, French cook-
ery can accomplish almost any wonder, from making pal-
atable a roasted gull to a savory muskrat stew !
A more ingenious and even a more profitable and
*easy mode of fishing was suggested by the cove, which
sets up from the river across my claim. As soon as the
ice breaks up in the spring, fish from the river, in pur-
suit of early worms and insects, enter the cove and work
their way up the current, until it loses itself in the mead-
ows. Boys hunt them in these shallows, whence they
are frequently unable to retrace their course, I have
Digitized
by Google
FKOSAIC MODES. 267
overtaken accidentally and killed with an axe a very
large fish, as I was traversing the fields.
The road from my house to the fields crosses this
cove, leaving a narrow channel, which is bridged. On
the upper side of the bridge has been constructed a trap,
or "fyke.** It consists of a box formed of strips of
boards, so nailed as to permit free passage to the water,
but not to a fish of a size worth detaining. This box,
which is about four feet square, is firmly fixed by stakes,
and occupies half the width of the channel. The other
half is obstructed by stakes, so driven as to divert the
fish in their progress up the current, towards the box.
The latter has a wide opening on the bridge side, to
which are nailed laths or small strips converging to
near the centre, on the plan of the old-fashioned wire
mouse trap.
By this , simple contrivance do we manage to secure
many a fine fat pickerel, and I have known the water
absolutely black with the multitude of fish caught in a
single day. Later in the season the run of the better
kinds ceases, and bull-heads are almost the only sort that
enter. Fish are taken from the trap by means of a small
scoop-net. The slender long-nosed pike {Esox reticula-
tus), here called pickerel, is often a foot and a half in
length, and furnishes a good meal.
Another curious mode of fishing is sometimes prac-
tised here, and which, to me, was entirely novel. The
fish that frequent my pond have a habit of basking near
the surface, where they lie perfectly still for a long time
enjoying the superior warmth ; for it seems that even
creatures whose veins are not chilled by the icy touch of
winter derive pleasure from the warm rays of the life-
giving sun. The snake loves the heated dust of the
Digitized
by Google
268 ^^^^ ^^^ FISHING.
road-way. Frogs, turtles, and indeed all amphibious and
cold-blooded animals, indulge in the same kind of enjoy-
ment.
While thus taking their ease, and apparently in a
quiet sleep, along the shore glides an artful rogue of a
boy. With cautious movement — for a fish, be it remem-
bered, sleeps with both eyes open — he brings to the
level of his shoulder, what ! a fowling-piece ! Bang ! —
the fish is seen floating on its side. He is not killed,
only stunned. Quick now, or the prey escapes. Here,
Veto, the pond is too muddy for any limbs but yours.
The dog too must be expeditious, otherwise the prey re-
covers his momently lost faculties, and in the twinkling
of an eye (canine or human, of course, not fish) is off to
deeper water.
But all this is small game, merely boy's play, compared
with the catching of white-fish {Coregonus albus). All
the world is now familiar with this lustrous and exquisite
fish, with which our strait and lakes abound, and which
has come to be an important article of commerce.
In our river they are taken only with seines or drag-
nets, in the spring and fall. The latter is the season of
the great run, and commences with the approach of cold
weather in October, lasting until nearly winter. Several
of these fishing-grounds are in my vicinity ; and many a
time have I watched the boats as they pull up the stream,
— a song keeping time to the oars — drop the net, and row
rapidly back to the shore. Here both ends are drawn in
by a horse-windlass, the bag of the net soon appearing,
distended with the shining captives. These are thrown
into a pile, from which the finest and largest may be
selected at five to ten cents apiece.
The largest and best white-fish are taken further up
Digitized
by Google
SEINE FISHING,
269
the lakes, the ordinary weight of those from our river
being about four or five pounds. In lakes Huron and
Michigan they average five or six pounds, and in Lake
Superior attain to ten pounds, and even more. The
largest I ever saw was estimated to weigh twelve to fif-
teen pounds, and had been pulled ashore by an otter out
of the cold waters of our great lake. The creature made
off on the approach of our boat, relinquishing his prey
to our superior claims — the right of the strongest.
The seine, of course, catches all kinds of fish that come
within its sweep, and are not too small to escape through
its two-and-a-half-inch meshes. Among these is occa-
sionally a huge sturgeon, often of forty pounds weight.
And more rarely that prince of a fish and delicate bonne
bouche^ the muskallonge {Esox estor. — Cuv.). The latter
is also taken by hook and line in our river and in Lake
Ste. Claire.
Another fish of the salmon family is caught in great
numbers in the lakes above, and is an article of commerce
only second in importance to the white-fish — the salmon
trout {Salmo amethystus). It is much larger than its
white cousin, attaining to forty pounds. Though a
hard fleshed and admirable fish, it lacks the delicate flavor
which makes the white-fish so dainty a dish for the epi-
cure.
There is a secret about this matter of flavor which not
every cook knows, though Indians and Frenchmen well
understand it. On my first visit to the "Sault,'* our
party were invited to the house of an Indian trader, to
dine. Our host, a Scotsman, had been many years on the
frontier, and had fallen into the fashion of the country
and the times, and taken unto himself an Indian wife.
It was his squaw who cooked our meal, and who waited
Digitized
by Google
270
FISH AND FISHING.
on US at the table, not presuming to sit or eat with us.
I observed that immediately after our arrival our host
sent out to the shore of the rapids for a white-fish,
and having procured the largest and finest male speci-
men, that had just been drawn out of the foaming waters,
it was at once dressed, broiled and served up. " Twenty-
minutes ago exactly,*' said our entertainer, as he di-
vided a steaming portion to each guest, " this fish was
enjoying his native element. Had he been half an hour
dead no understanding gourmand would have thought
him worthy of his table. He must be eaten while the
flesh is hard, for .it softens immediately with keeping.
The flesh of the trout is harder and will keep longer.*'
Another fish familiar to me, and esteemed by the
ichthyophagist, is caught in limited quantities, and only
in Lake Superior, — the siskiwit. It is much too oily to
be eaten fresh, being a mere mass of fat, but is good
salted and smoked, and in this state resembles a very fat
mackerel. Lake Superior furnishes another white-fish,
of the genus Corygonus, which far exceeds in size the
river species. It is caught with gill-nets, at a depth of
from six to sixty fathoms, and has been known to attain
the weight of forty-five pounds ! The scales on throat
and belly are tinged a rusty red. Otherwise, except in its
enormous protuberance, it resembles the common white-
fish. Like most overgrown things, it is coarse in flesh.
Before concluding my "angling** experiences, I must
relate a yet more novel method of fish capture, of which
I was witness, " et quorum pars fui,*' in one of my wan-
derings upon our great inland waters. Our party, land-
ing at a rocky island in Lake Huron, came suddenly
upon a shoal of fish, that were gambolling in the light
surf that broke among the boulders which lined the
Digitized
by Google
GN THE VPPER LAKES. 2/1
shore. They were not porpoises, as you might suppose
had it been an ocean shore, but sturgeon, better known
in a distant part of the country as ** Albany beef." So
engaged were they in their sport as to be unconscious of
our presence, while we stripped and waded in among
them. We thus succeeded in nabbing several with our
hands alone, and after a pretty hard tussle one fine
fellow was safely landed. It kept our larder in beef
and chicken for several days.
On the flats of Lake Ste. Claire a novel scene may be
witnessed from a boat floating over the shallows ; namely,
sturgeon in the act oi pumping. This is their mode of sup-
plying themselves with craw-fish. These burrow in the
sand, leaving holes behind them. Here the fish stations
himself, with his mouth over the hole, and by a strong
effort of suction produces a current in the water, which is
drawn violently into his mouth. Considerable sand ac-
companies, which is ejected by the gills, and settles in
piles or ridges on either side. Whether or not the craw-
fish comes out from his retreat to see what all the com-
motion is about, or whether he comes because he cannot
help it, certain it is that up he comes, the torrent carry-
ing him directly into the mouth of the wily fish ; but he
does not pass out through the gills.
I was once party to an easy kind of fish capture
among the hollows, in the rocky bed of a small rapid
stream on Lake Superior. Numbers of suckers were rest-
ing in these hollows, in the attempt to make their way up
the ascent. We caught and threw many ashore with our
hands. But they paid only in the sport, as they were
poor eating.
There are other modes of catching the white and other
fish of commerce of our waters besides the seine, and
Digitized
by Google
2/2
FISH AND FISHING.
much controversy has arisen among fishermen as to the
respective merits and demerits of the different methods.
At the Falls of St. Mary both white-fish and salmon
trout are taken by the Indians with scoop-nets, as also
. with the spear, in the very midst of the foaming rapids,
where the fish are temporarily stopped in their upward
passage. It is a very exciting spectacle to see numbers
of Jbark canoes darting, light as feathers, in the boiling
eddies, at the foot of the great " leap,*' an Indian con-
trolling its dexterous movements with a long pole, while
another stands at the bow, with spear, or scoop, at the
end of another pole, watching the finny prey. In winter,
trout are caught here by hook and line, dropped through
holes in the ice; but the white-fish never, or seldom —
for the fact is vouched for, — bites at the hook.
Another mode of catching white-fish, which has in-
creased greatly within the past few years, and in many
localities almost superseded the seine, is by ^e trap or
pound-net. This consists of a net called the "lead,'*
having meshes of five inches from knot to knot, which is
fastened at one end to the shore and reaches into deeper
water, where it joins another net, called the "pot."
The latter has meshes of only half the size of the first,
the object of the lead being to divert the fish, from their
passage along the shallow grounds, into the trap or
pot.
The vast increase of our fisheries during the last ten
years, and the repeated observations of intelligent fish-
ermen, as well as of a few scientific observers, have elic-
ited many curious facts in the life history of the white-
fish, which are of great interest.
The following facts seem to be Well established :
The white-fish is short lived, and of very rapid growth.
Digitized
by Google
WHITE-FISH— LIFE HISTORY.
^7Z
maturing the second year, and ending its life with the
third.
The spawn is deposited in the fall (October and
November), in shallow water, and the hatching takes
place in the spring, or first month of summer, according
to locality.
Soon after hatching, the young fry withdraw into deep,
cold water, where they remain until the summer. of the
following year.
They then commence their return to the hatching
grounds, for the purpose of spawning. And it is well
attested, — incredible as the fact may seem, — that during
the three months succeeding, or between June and Sep-
tember, they increase in size from about two and a half
ounces to from four to nine or ten pounds weight. In
other words, from mere minnows of one year they attain
maturity.
Early in the summer of the third year they retire again
into deep waters, and are seen no more. The white-fish
is a bottom-feeder, and lives upon the young, or aquatic
larvae of the ephemera, which are found in the river
mud.
These fish do not migrate, as was formerly supposed,
from the lower to the higher lakes, the superior size of
those found in the latter being due to the local breed,
and not to age. Fish of the same locality are of remark-
ably uniform size.
During the summer months, it will be observed, the
fish of the second year are making their way up from the
deep waters to the spawning grounds, while the old
fishes are returning to the deep water to die. The fish-
ing season is therefore confined to the spring and fall, —
Digitized
by Google
274 ^^^^ ^^^ FISHING,
from the time the ice leaves until about the middle of
June, and from September to the end of November.
At these seasons only full-grown fish are liable to be
taken.
It is contended by advocates of the exclusive use of
the seine that the stock of fish is being needlessly dimin-
ished by the use of the pound, which takes the fish indis-
criminately, the small with the large, whole schools being
taken at once.
On the other hand, it is maintained that the pound-net
cannot so operate, for the reason that the minnows and
half-grown fish escape through the meshes of the lead.
And further, that by the constant capture of the stur-
geon and long-lived fishes of the sucker tribe, which live
upon the spawn of the white-fish, the annual stock of the
latter is on the increase wherever these nets are in con-
stant use.
It is also said that it is impossible to diminish the
number, no matter how many are taken, because only
those are caught which have matured and never prop-
agate again. Some further time and observation must
yet be had before these questions can be fully settled.
It is remarkable that the spawning season of the white-
fish, unlike that of most other fishes, should be in the
fall. Still more remarkable is the extraordinarily rapid
growth, from a minnow of two or three ounces to a full-
grown adult, in the short space of less than three months.
It is probable that much of the delicacy of flavor of this
celebrated fish is due to this rapid growth.
There is a notion among fishermen — who have, usually,
numerous offspring, — that the prolific qualities of this
fish are bestowed upon its consumers. Whatever of
truth there may be in this tradition, certainly the great
Digitized
by Google
LEGISLATIVE REGULATIONS,
275
fish-eating locality, Mackinaw, beais a charmed reputa-
tion, as a favorable resort for ladies who desire an in-
crease of their families.
Schoolcraft hints at this quality, in the following lines
from his poem, ** The White-fish " :
" And oft the sweet morsel up-poised on the knife,
Excites a bland smile from the blooming young wife ;
Nor dreams she a sea-fish one moment compares,
But is thinking the while not of fish but of heirs."
The trade in the white-fish has been steadily on the
increase, and has become a very important and profitable
one to our State.
The first fishery from which any export was made was
that of Mr. Barnabus Campau, on Belle Isle (late Isle au
Cochon of the French), in 1825, but the trade continued
small and unprofitable until the tide of emigration set in,
about ten years later. From that time the fisheries,
which had been confined to Detroit River, gradually ex-
tended to the lake borders, and during the present year
two schooners have been hauled around the rapids into
Lake Superior, to assist in bringing this fine product of
that noble lake into the market.
Sincerely Yours.
Since the above was written, forty years ago, fisheries
have not only been largely extended, but stringent laws
have been enacted for their regulation. Active measures
are also being taken by both the general and State gov-
ernments, for stocking our streams and lakes with young
fry, artificially hatched, of the kinds most suitable.
In 1 841 about 30,000 barrels of white-fish only were
Digitized
by Google
276
FISH AND FISHING.
packed annually. Probably not less than 50,000 are
now sold annually by Detroit merchants alone.
In 1868 half a million of white-fish were captured by
Detroit River fisheries, as many as 20,000 being some-
times secured in a single haul of the seine.
Though the fishing season proper is in the spring and
fall, modern luxury, at the time when this note is being
recorded, has invented methods for bringing to our tables
at all times of the year this estimable food. Not only
are the finer sorts brought from the cold waters of the
upper lakes, packed in ice, and with their firmness and
delicacy little impaired, but they are transported in the
same frozen condition to the most distant markets.
In 1855, Mr. George Clark, of Detroit, inaugurated a
method of impounding the fish, at the time of the fall
fishing, by dragging them by means of the nets into large
pens, where they are kept alive and sound for the winter
supply. There is a very large demand, and the trade is
carried on in Detroit chiefly. Probably not less than half
a million are sent from here annually, the produce of
these winter pens.
How well I remember the time when the fishing season
— at which time alone could this dainty fare be obtained
— was looked forward to by the old residents with pleas-
ure and impatience, and one of the hardships of a removal
to other parts of the country was experienced in the
longing after this favorite dish. Now this " deer of the
lakes** — par excellence — is not only universally known,
but is procurable cheaply, at all seasons, both fresh and
salted, from the lakes to the Gulf, and from the Missis-
sippi to Cape Cod. It has even overleaped these bounds*
and is shipped direct to Liverpool.
But this constant drain has of late years, in spite of all
Digitized
by Google
LAKE AND RIVER FISH-TRADE,
277
precautions, tended to constantly diminish the annual
catch. The gill-net has superseded the seine, necessity
having withdrawn the operations into deeper waters.
The greed of trade outruns all sober precautions. And it
is to be feared that the time is rapidly approaching when
the inhabitants of our lakes and rivers, like the wild ani-
mals which were once so abundant and are now so few,
will be in like manner exterminated, and this great indus-
try of Michigan will cease to be remunerative.
Digitized
by Google
Digitized
by Google
BIRDS OF MY NEIGHBORHOOD.
Digitized
by Google
' He therefore makes all birds of every sort
Free of his farm, with promise to respect
Their several kinds alike, and equally protect."
Dryden.
Digitized
by Google
BIRDS OF MY NEIGHBORHOOD.
Springwells, , 1850.
DEAR TOM : — You ask me for some account of the
feathered inhabiters of my neighborhood. As the
meagre notes you received from me a long time ago
about the fishes seem to have pleased you, I willingly
comply, promising only that you must not expect from
me the language of a naturalist.
One of our earliest looked-for indications of the return
of spring is the flight of aquatic birds. Our position on
the great chain of lakes gives unusual facilities for observ-
ing these migrations.
The breaking up of the ice does not always indicate
the final departure of winter, for it often happens many
times during that season that our river is entirely free
from ice, and so also in great part the lakes. But the
migrations of water fowl to points above, are a certain
forerunner of the final dissolution of the icy bands.
" One swallow does not make a summer,** nor is it certain
that the warm breezes of spring will surely follow the
first flocks of wild ducks. But as their course is north-
ward, and their object the breeding grounds, the sway of
winter must be broken to enable them to accomplish
what they are in search of. The commencement of their
flights usually is early in March, but this depends upon
the character of the season.
Wild geese are less numerous than the ducks. They
number about twenty in a flock, and always fly with mili-
281
Digitized
by Google
282 BIRDS OF MY NEIGHBORHOOD.
tary precision. They range themselves along two sides
of a triangle, so as to constitute a wedge, and cleave the
air with greater facility. A general or leader always pre-
cedes, and they obey the democratic doctrine of rotation
in office, the rear being allowed at intervals to overtake
the van and change with it.
Ducks are not of so orderly a disposition, but migrate
in more straggling bodies. They fly with necks stretched
out in a straight line with the body, and feet drawn up,
so as to offer least resistance to the air ; and it is astonish-
ing how rapidly they cut their liquid way, and how long
sustained is their flight.
Swans are less often seen, but I find mention in my
note-books of their appearance March 31, 1836, and in
other years. Capt. Luther Harvey, of Monroe, tells me
they were formerly quite numerous in the bays of the
lakes. 1 do not think that either swans or geese now
alight in our river. Ducks frequent the bays and inden.
tures of the stream in great numbers, even in the vicinity
of settlements, but where they are a good musket-shot
from shore, though out of reach of the current. Here
they swim about and dive at a generally safe distance
from sportsmen, who watch for such stragglers as are
tempted by the facilities for feeding to approach nearer.
The sportsman often hides successfully behind some ob-
ject on the shore, where, protected from observation, he
is enabled to make game of many unwary ones. Among
these birds are some teals. These are so watchful and
lively as to dive at the flash, and thus escape even the
well-aimed ball.
One of my sporting neighbors practises a mode of de-
ception which is new to me. In the early spring, when
ice is floating down in large, irregular masses from the
Digitized
by Google
AQUATIC FOWL. 283
lakes above, dotting the whole surface of the water, he
converts his canoe into a mimic cake of ice by stretching
a sheet over the front. Ensconced behind this, he floats
down along with the moving masses, and is often enabled
to get into the very midst of a flock before they have
warning of the trick.
During a cold winter many years ago, the French and
half-breeds of Presque Isle found geese so frozen to the
ice that they caught them in great numbers. Thirty or
forty years ago, I am told, ducks were so numerous in
Maumee Bay, and so fat on the wild rice, that they were
speared by thousands.
Capt. Luther Harvey relates that in the early days,
soon after the war of 1812, swans and brants occasionally
visited the marshes at the west end of Lake Erie. One
day a pair of brants came to his farm and settled down
among his geese, where they remained for two weeks, and
until they were shot by a boy. They became so tame
that he could approach them within twenty feet. They
partook of the corn distributed to the other fowls, eyeing
him suspiciously and keeping a little off, but not flying
away. They were beautiful birds, slenderer than the
geese, white, with black on ends of tail and wings, and a
black spot on the shoulder. From the description I con-
clude that they were the white brant, or snow-goose
{Anser hyperboreus), a rarer bird than the common brant
(which is gray), and whose breeding-grounds are well up
to the Arctic seas.
Of the large family of Natatores the wide, encircling
waters of our peninsula furnish a greater number of spe-
cies than any other portion of our continent. Specimens
of most of them are in the State collection at the Uni-
Digitized
by Google
284
BIRDS OF MY NEIGHBORHOOD,
versity of Michigan, deposited by the zoologists of the
Natural History Survey, under Dr. Houghton.
Among them is the celebrated canvas-back duck, so
much sought by epicures, and fully equal to those which
feed upon the wild celery of the Chesapeake. Detroit
markets are well stocked with water fowl in great variety
during the season. They get very fat in the fall on the
wild rice that abounds hereabouts, but their numbers are
rapidly diminishing.
How different the life of these wild fowl from that of
the domesticated kinds. The latter seldom range far
from the hand that feeds them, and seek the protection
of man. They have become essentially a land bird, living
as much on shore as on the water, even when they have
free access to pond or river. Wild ducks, on the con-
trary, with few exceptions, do not visit the land except
for incubation, feeding and sleeping on the wave. The
domestic bird will not fly many rods without seeking
rest ; the wild makes continuous journeys of many hun-
dred miles. Yet tame ducks are sometimes enticed to join
the flocks of their wild brethren. In fact, this happened
with me so frequently some years ago, that I was forced
to abandon the attempt to keep ducks in my pond. The
near and open connection with the river, and the rice
and other food with which it abounded, tempted the wild
birds to resort thither, and the acquaintance which they
formed with my domestic species proved too strong for
the hitherto good habits of the latter. Having tasted
the sweets of the wild liberty of their ancestors, they de-
serted me, never to return.
Among the winged frequenters of our river, the gull
lives even more exclusively upon this element, alighting
always in the water, as do many of the ocean birds. In-
Digitized
by Google
GREGARIOUS BIRDS,
285
deed, the sea-gull is not an uncommon visitor of its lake
cousins, among whom its larger size and brilliant white
plumage render it conspicuous. I am not aware of any
land resort the gulls have in these parts, but on Lake
Superior and Thunder Bay of Lake Huron I have seen
isolated rocks — their breeding-places — covered with them
in countless numbers, and the young are easily caught.
The great Northern loon was formerly a frequenter of
our river, but is now seldom seen here. It is still common
in the small lakes and rivers distant from settlements,
where I have often heard his cry in the coot of even-
ing. What a weird, wild, lonely cry it is ! It may be
near or far off, you cannot tell which. But the bird is
very wild and difficult of approach.
Of other birds that move in flocks during the spring
season, we have our share of those two distinguished
game birds, pigeons and quails. The former never ap-
pear in this locality in such prodigious numbers as in
territories further west, but they come in little squads
numerous enough to afford excellent sport, and the mar-
kets are amply supplied during their short stay.
Quails abide with us during nearly the whole year, and
visit familiarly our fields and homesteads. They are so
tame as to allow man to approach within a very few feet,
and it is an amusement to listen to their answer to calls
made in imitation of their peculiar whistle. Their song
consists of two or three clear whistling notes in rapid suc-
cession, the last a little prolonged and on a higher key.
One comes suddenly upon a bevy of quails in a morning
walk over the fields or along the roads, when they will
start up, almost from under your feet, with a sharp whirr
of the wings 'and scuttle away in a low flight to a little
further distance, perhaps to a neighboring fence, whence
Digitized
by Google
286 BIRDS OF MY NEIGHBORHOOD,
they can watch and form an opinion of the intruder.
Pretty things they are, round, plump, and very tooth-
some when made acquainted with griddle and toast.
Detroit journals of May, 1839, mention the phenomenon
of a sudden, uncommon abundance of these birds in this
neighborhood. So great were the numbers, and so fear-
less were they of man, that many were knocked down in
the streets with clubs and canes.
Yet though such close attendants of field and home,
quails are not easily tamed, and when caged retain to
the last much of their native wildness and impatience of
restraint. Even when hatched under a hen it has been
found impossible to domesticate them.
Of all the birds that visit us in flocks we love least to
see the blackbirds, — those arrant thieves, that steal our
corn and oats so pertinaciously. The river marshes
afford such congenial habitats for these birds that their
numbers scarcely diminish, notwithstanding the havoc
made among them by the guns of boys and outraged
farmers.
They congregate by thousands in these river borders
and coves, where they find a favorite food in the wild
rice {Zizania aquaticd). The cove or pond near my farm-
house, covering an area of some tWo or three acres, is
nearly every season filled with this plant, and is often
black with the birds. On firing, or throwing a stone into
their ranks, they rise in dense flocks, with a loud rushing
sound, fly a short distance, wheel about, and again settle
to their repast ; or they collect in dense, black masses in
a neighboring tree. Here they hold council over their
misdeeds, or rather, it is probable, over the unauthor-
ized insult to which, in their opinion, they have been sub-
jected. The chatter is loud and incessant.
Digitized
by Google
BLACKBIRDS,
287
Woe betide our corn and. grain fields, when sufficiently
advanced to tempt these voracious marauders ! Scare-
crows are of temporary avail, but suspicion soon turns to
contempt. Then shot-guns again give temporary relief,
which lasts no longer than one can afford to hold patient
watch.
As they are not game birds, sportsmen do not thin
their ranks to supply the luxuries of the table. Yet they
are eaten, and I can testify from experience that " four-
and-twenty blackbirds baked in a pie ** are no mean
"dish to set before a king.** At any rate, a sovereign
Frenchman does not despise it. They are also " a dainty
dish ** to another epicurean animal, the omnivorous hog.
Often have my hogs enjoyed a rare treat, as I rambled,
gun in hand, about my orchard bordering the pond, the
hogs following and devouring the birds which I brought
to the ground.
The blackbirds come early, and are the last to depart,
the sexes taking their departure in separate bands.
There are two species, the males of one being distinguish-
able by their red wing-covers. When congregated to
talk over the question of departure they are very loqua-
cious, the subject being discussed over and over again,
with as much noise and confusion, but in a more friendly
spirit, than attends many of our deliberative assem-
blies.
Their gay, sociable, chatty dispositions are qualities not
to be despised among the boon companions of our fields
and river-side, and offer some amends for the mischief
they do us. We know too that, like most of our birds,
they are insectivorous, their food consisting of grubs,
caterpillars, moths and beetles, as well as grain, and
we may well believe that the mischief they accomplish
Digitized
by Google
288 BIRDS OF MY NEIGHBORHOOD.
is more than compensated by habits and virtues of which
we take little note.
Wild turkeys were among the game birds of our neigh-
borhood until the extension of the clearings drove them
to more distant retreats. But even yet they occasion-
ally approach the settlements. Recently a flock of them
came into a piece of my enclosed woodland, a quarter of
a mile only from the house. Here I would gladly have
left them undisturbed, but they were discovered by pry-
ing hunters, shot at, and driven away. Guns are becom-
ing the terror and nuisance of our neighborhood.
The wild turkey is considered one of the wildest of
forest game, being much more difficult to get a shot at
than a deer. Yet I not unfrequently flush them in my
woodland rides. On one such occasion I came suddenly
upon a hen turkey with a brood of young. The old bird
flew upon a fallen tree, bristling its feathers at me in
great rage, while the chicks dispersed and sought the
cover of the nearest leaves and underwood. It was her
mode of distracting my attention from her young.
Springing at once from my horse, I without difficulty
caught two of the little ones, carried them away in my
pocket, and made an acceptable present of tfiem to one
of my young friends.
A gentleman living in one of the interior counties of the
State, but little settled, vouches to me for the following
fact, as showing how readily the wild bird may become
a subject of domestication. A neighbor woman kept
domestic fowls, and throwing corn to them daily, grad-
ually decoyed a wild turkey into her yard. Associating
with the domestic brood, and finding what an easy life
they led, he became at length so tame that she actually
caught and took possession of him. Whether he con-
Digitized
by Google
BIRDS OF PREY.
289
tinued to live like a prince, or went to her pot, I did not
learn, or have forgotten.
Hawks and owls are among the birds of prey that
make frequent visits to my poultry yard. The latter are
seldom seen, as they avoid the light of day. The former
are very bold in their approaches, and will allow a man
to come within a few feet, if he have no gun. They are
quick to learn the meaning of this subtle weapon. They
are often conspicuous objects, as perched upon a tree in
the fields, or upon a post of the fence, they auda-
ciously survey the neighborhood, and calculate the
chances of an attempt at robbery. Though these fellows
have little to recommend them, in j)ublic estimation,
except their fearlessness, I would willingly allow free
license to enjoy their observations, and follow unmolested
the life that nature has taught, but that some unusually
bold and successful raid raises my resentment, followed
by retaliation. I once shot one that had been thus
depredating, breaking his wing, so that he could not fly.
On my coming up he made no attempt at escape, and as
I held him up by the wings, his large open beak, black,
piercing eyes, and strong hooked claws gave him a very
formidable appearance. There was a contempt of danger
and a valor in the stem, restless eye, which followed my
motions, that displayed the indomitable spirit of an
Indian warrior, who may aptly be likened to a bird of
prey ; untamable as the wild eagle of the mountain, and
scorning the hand of mercy. I hung him up, in terror to
the winged robbers of my cornfield.
Did I not, thoughtlessly, by this very act — making
even of his dead body a useful friend — acknowledge this
creature's claim to protection ? How many of these
lesser thieves may he not have captured. How many
Digitized
by Google
290
BIRDS OF MY NEIGHBORHOOD,
mice and other cunning depredators may he not have
destroyed, as his common and daily food, for every
chicken which he occasionally regaled upon ? Nature is
full of compensations, and did man better heed her
lessons, he would find that many a creature he ruthlessly
seeks to exterminate is one of his chiefest benefactors.
Quite a variety of birds make their abode with us
throughout the winter ; so that our fields and woods are
far from cheerless, from the absence of animated life,
during that cold season.
The blue jay is a very constant attendant throughout
the year, never leaving us for milder climes. But he is
by no means so familiar as the robin, his actions showing
rather a contempt for man, as an order of animals be-
neath his notice. Nevertheless when snow covers the
earth, and food is difficult to find, he will approach
nearer the mansion, searching for such crumbs as may be
thrown out. But he generally keeps aloof, and is more
attracted by the grassy spots, bare- of snow, about the
roots of trees. A gay and handsome bird he is, with his
soldier-like, clean, blue-and-white uniform and feathery
crest ; but his shrill voice has not even the music of the
fife in it.
Woodpeckers remain with us long in the autumn, and
several kinds throughout the winter.
Flocks of snow-birds — buntings — are visitants, but only
occasional, through the winter, and usually as attend-
ants upon a snow-storm. They are very sprightly and
sociable, and of course are very cheering companions for
sharp atmospheres and wintry blasts. They are the only
non-resident birds that visit us only in the winter. Com-
ing when other guests have deserted, they are like the
Digitized
by Google
WINTER BIRDS ;— HARBINGERS OF SPRING.
291
memories of sunny days, that cheer the heart in the
winter of life.
Robins have been reported as seen in my woods in the
middle of December. There is a vulgar belief that dur-
ing mild days they come out of the reeds and marshes,
where they have winter habitats. It is certain that they
put in an appearance here early in March but so do
the bluebirds, which are well-known birds of passage.
There can be little doubt that a few individual robins do
occasionally remain all winter in our neighborhood,
sheltering themselves in the dense woods and swales.
Occasionally they leave their retreats so early in the
spring, deceived by a passing mildness, that they are
frozen to death by a sudden wintry turn.
Our spring is made gay with the beautiful plumage of
many birds, as well as by their songs. Those early and
familiar favorites, the blue and yellow birds, and the
orioles, never fail to be with us at this hopeful season, in
great numbers ; cheering us with their notes of gladness,
and, like winged flowers, anticipating the blossoms that
shall soon clothe the garden and orchard with tints rival-
ling their own.
The bluebird is one of the earliest harbingers of
spring, arriving early in March and remaining until No-
vember. His services, too, are of a very practical kind,
for he. devours multitudes of noxious insects, and nevei;,
that I can discover, plunders the fruit.
The still more brilliant scarlet tanager is a more shy
and unfrequent visitor, and arrives later from his con-
genial South. He delights, here at the North, to veil
his beauties in the deeper woods. But his first compli-
ments are paid nevertheless to the homestead ; where he
flashes through the shrubbery like a glancing flame. He
Digitized by
Google
292
BIRDS OF MY NEIGHBORHOOD.
soon retires to the thick woods, to bring up his family,
and very early takes his departure. He belongs to a
Brazilian family, and perhaps has not yet acquainted
himself sufficiently with our harsh Northern tongue to
become familiar.
Another handsome bird is very common here, and he
is among the most persistent of the winged thieves that
prey upon our fruit. This is the cedar-bird, known also
as the cherry-bird, from his remarkable fondness for
cherries, which he devours in great quantities. I am
willing to believe that even he repays the injury he does
us, and possibly earns his guerdon by clearing the trees
of canker-worms and insects that hide beneath the bark.
His dress is very neat, and the French call him by the
name of R^collet, from the color of his crest, which re-
sembles the hood of that religious order, once so numer-
ous in the New World.
I have recently had the opportunity of a very interest-
ing subject of study, — the habits of wild birds domesti-
cated. An ingenious brother has constructed a mam-
moth cage, which he has filled with **many birds of
various kinds.** It is wonderful to see how well they
agree, only now and then one being found that is quar-
relsome or of an ugly disposition. Of this sort was a
blackbird, who rapaciously snatched food from the other
tenants, always greedy and careless of the rights and
comforts of others. So neither in his wild nor domestic
state does he make himself a favorite. He had a way of
amusing himself that was in keeping with his character, —
that of plucking the feathers off the breasts of his com-
panions. In this manner he completely stripped a large
chicken that had been confined to the cage for a few
days.
Digitized
by Google
WILD BIRDS DOMESTICATED,
293
A little Java sparrow affords much amusement, by a
particular friendship he has formed with the robins.
These birds are several times larger than he, but stand
somewhat in awe of him. It is his custom to shelter
himself from the cold at night by making use of the
warmth of their bodies. This use is, in fact, somewhat
compulsory, and is obtained by stratagem. He does it by
hugging closely up to one of the robins ; the pressure
forcing the bird to raise and extend a leg, in order to pre-
serve his balance. The sparrow seizes this chance to
slip in between the legs, and thus secures a warm downy
covering for his bed. If unsuccessful in this expedient,
he contrives by the use of his wings to get into his favor-
ite position; for he is a determined little fellow, and
does not readily abandon his undertakings. This spar-
row is a very grave-looking bird, notwithstanding his
facetious tricks. He has brilliant stripes of white under
each ear, which look like shirt-collars, and a very large
prominent bill, like the red Roman nose of a free liver.
We name him the ** Bachelor."
Most of the birds in this cage have been brought up
together from the callow stage, and have become very
familiar with each other. A male oriole and a female
canary, being mateless, entered into a '* civil contract,"
and proceeded very diligently to build a nest. But the
robins did not approve the match, and tore the nest to
pieces as fast as it was constructed, scattering the ma-
terials about the cage.
How strong the breeding instinct is was shown on an-
other occasion, among the canaries. A pair had con-
structed a nest in their breeding cage, but from some
cause failed to raise a brood. A friend having acci-
dentally found a nest of yellow birds of unfledged young.
Digitized
by Google
294 BIRDS OF MY NEIGHBORHOOD,
took two of them and dropped them into the empty nest.
They were first espied by the male canary, who, after
eyeing them awhile curiously, gave place to the female.
She, with a motherly tenderness, at once accepted the gift,
and thenceforth the happy pair adopted the little found-
lings, and reared them to maturity, with many demon-
strations of pleasure and affection.
Most of the birds are made very tame by handling.
This is particularly the case with the thrushes ; but they
lose this tameness to man when kept confined to the
cage. They also lose the power or inclination to sing
when together. An indigo bird, a famous songster when
in his solitary cage, so lost his vocal power, after a
few weeks* intercourse with the birds, that it became
necessary, after separating him, to set before him the ex-
ample of the best vocalist among the canaries, before he
recovered his lost art.
Some time ago a large green parrot was added to our
feathered family. He is a good talker, and amuses us
with some extraordinary exhibitions of the faculty of
speech and of mimicry. Like other individuals of this
loquacious species, he pronounces quite plainly such
familiar words and sentences as " Good-by,'* ** Polly wants
a cracker,** etc. But what is more astonishing is the
ease with which, like a child, he catches and imitates
sounds heard for the first time. He soon learned to re-
peat the names of every member of the family, including
the servants. These he often rouses from the kitchen by
loudly calling their names. Sometimes he varies his
tones, from those of an old person to those of a child,
with marvellous accuracy.
He is fond of holding with himself long imaginary
conversations. In these he will seem to ask questions.
Digitized
by Google
A GOOD TALKER,
295
to reply, and to dispute, deny and recriminate ; now
in the gruff voice of a man, and now in the finer tones
of a woman, getting quite warm in his earnestness.
During this harangue few words may be distinctly
uttered, but the whole has the character of a conversa-
tion indistinctly heard, or which is listened to without
taking note of the language used. In what fish-market
this Billingsgate was learned we do not know. The
persons from whom the bird was purchased had emi-
grated, and from the frequent use of the word '* Califor-
nia," by the bird, it is probable they had gon« to that
country, and possibly the journey had been preceded by
long, and perhaps angry, discussions on the subject.
A gentleman resident in the city is owner of a parrot,
of the African gray species, which is quite remarkable for
his intelligent use of language. When his master comes
home the bird recognizes his step, and calls out to him,
" How do you do, old boy?" Being answered, " Pretty
well," his response is, " All right." On his master's leav-
ing the house he salutes him with, " Good-by, old boy,—
come and kiss me good-by.** This bird also calls by
name every member of the family.
The speech of the parrot is ventriloquial. There ap-
pears to be no motion of the beak or tongue, while a very
perspicuous motion is observable in the throat. Indeed,
the labial sounds are as distinctly articulated as any other,
which would be a phenomenon indeed, if performed by a
bird's beak. The curious orifice at the root of the latter
may have something to do with this faculty, but I am
not learned on the subject.
Truly Yours.
Digitized
by Google
Digitized
by Google
THE BIRDS, FURTHER CONSIDERED.
Digitized
by Google
" nor these alone, whose notes
Nice fingered art must emulate in vain,
But cawing rooks, and kites that swim sublime,
In still repeated circles, screaming loud,
The jay, the pie, and e'en the boding owl.
That hails the rising moon, have charms for me."
COWPER.
Digitized
by Google
THE BIRDS, FURTHER CONSIDERED.
I' WOULD supplement the foregoing account of my
earlier experiences by a few more items, and a little
further chat about the birds of my neighborhood.
Mr. J. S. Tibbits, in a paper read before our Wayne
County Pioneer Society, in 1874, alluding to the first set-
tlement of the country, mentions among " the birds
common in those early days," the eagle, turkey-buzzard,
raven, hawk, owl, crow, turkey, partridge, duck, and
wild goose. He says, ** The turkey-buzzard, which is sel-
dom or never seen now, was common then. The crow
did not make its appearance till a number of years after
the first settlements were made.**
I have several times, in years gone, seen the bald eagle,
perched upon some tree on the banks, or sailing over
the Lake Ste. Claire. The buzzard must have betaken
himself to other latitudes for some good reason, known
best to himself, before my arrival in 1835. With the
crow {Corvus Aniericanus) I made better acquaintance.
This bird, cousin-gerrnan to the blackbirds mentioned in
the foregoing letter, is of much larger size, but of like
social disposition. On my first coming to this county I
was informed that the large, dusky birds seen occasionally
high in air were ravens, and that the true crow was
not found here. Yet I was aware at that time, that
great precautions were used by farmers in the State of
New York to protect their corn from the depredations
of crows. The Genesee Farmer of 1867 says, " It is little
299
Digitized
by Google
300 ^^^ BIRDS, FURTHER CONSIDERED.
more than twenty years since the first crow crossed the
Genesee River, westerly." The first appearance of crows
in this neighborhood, that I have noted, was in the
autumn of 1858. So it must have taken about a decade
for their journey westward, from the Niagara to the De-
troit, supposing they came from that quarter.
An entry in my journal of November 12, 1858, states,
" For a week past, large quantities of crows have made
their appearance, coming over the river, from Canada,
each morning, and returning about sun&et. They are in
thousands, and wing their way in a narrow track that
passes nearly over my homestead. They fly at great
height generally, but sometimes descend within rifle dis-
tance. They croak but little, and seem to be on business.
Last evening the number was unusually large, and I ob-
served that their point of departure seemed to be the oak
grove in the rear of and not far from my house." I must
here state that my residence is no longer upon the river,
but about half a mile back, and nearer the woods.
The evening was clear and moonlit, and I walked
out into the grove, about nine o'clock, guided by the
noise. There I found that several thousand birds had
taken roost in the tallest trees. Something of importance
was on their minds, for they kept up an incessant chatter,
not their usual formal caw, A portion would now and
then rise on the wing, in a flock, wheel around, and alight
on a neighboring tree, all within a small circle. It was like
the swarming of bees. Their notes were more varied than
I had ever before heard. Besides the common caw would
be an occasional chuckling sound, or warble, and now and
then some words resembling " get out " ; whether this was
addressed to me or to some offender among their own
community, I could not tell. At times the mingling
Digitized
by Google
CROW VISITORS. 301
voices made a medley resembling the concert of frogs.
They seemed to be in ' high feather * ; which is probably
their term for enjoyment. In the morning all were gone.
Their diurnal passage of the river this year continued
for several weeks, but the same roosting-places were not
always selected. I have noted their re-appearance in the
winters of 1861 and 1862, and of 1864 and 1865. In No-
vember, 1865, I again noticed their passage overhead,
crossing into Canada at sunrise, and returning to our side
at night.
The Detroit Free Press of March 21, 1867, notices
the advent of crows for the two weeks past, in unprece-
dented numbers, making in clouds for some rendezvous
on the Canada side, and says a gentleman counted two
thousand in two hours.
My notes of March, 1869, thus again alludes to the re-
turn of the crows, — an event always of peculiar interest
to me : " For several days we have noticed unusual num-
bers flying overhead. ' Last evening about five o'clock
they began coming in flocks of several thousand, and
settled down in the pine grove of my neighbor, where
they remained all night. The pines were thickly planted
and were about twenty feet high. About five o'clock
the next morning they were astir, and for some fifteen
minutes before their departure completed their toilettes
amid an incessant uproar, and were off for breakfast.
This evening at the same hour they again commenced
their visitation, coming from the south and south-west, in
long straggling files. All came to the pine grove, as be-
fore, flying quite low, but after settling there for about
a- half hour, changed their minds as to their night's quar-
ters, and the main body rose and moved off to the tall
trees on the outskirt of my woods. Here they clustered
Digitized
by Google
302 7--^^ BIRDS, FURTHER CONSIDERED,
on the tops, in black masses. These occasionally
rose, and after sailing about settled again on the trees.
Deputation after deputation continued to arrive, and
all made for the pines, but finding their associates gone,
they also steered their course to join the main body.
About six o'clock all had assembled. Their united de-
liberations now resulted in a resolution to return to the
pines, where they settled down, apparently for the night,
the taller trees in my adjoining grounds being occupied
by sentries. Suddenly some roving mischief-maker let
off a gun into their ranks. All now rose, and with angry
clamor departed for the taller trees of my woodland.
Not one remained. Half an hour later another gun
frighted them from this roost, and compelled a retreat to
a more distant camp. Here, as darkness fell, I made
them a visit. Several trees were filled with them, in
black clusters. Their object seemed to be rather the
holding of a council than for a night's repose. Cer-
tainly their whole time was occupied in talking, and the
clamor at times was overpowering. At length a pause
occurred in the general debate. One or two only contin-
ued to hold forth ; after awhile others would break in
and interrupt the orators. Now the whole assembly felt
authorized to express their sentiments, which they did
not fail to do, with the utmost vociferation. The excite-
ment would have done credit to a political caucus.
On this occasion, as I had observed on a former one,
every few minutes a portion of the assembly rose,
wheeled around in a large circle, and returned to their
places. While this movement was taking place the
tumult ceased, or fell to an occasional caw; when all were
again together, the chatter once more became incessant.
The noise occasioned by the mingling of so many throats
Digitized
by Google
A BLACK PARLIAMENT.
303
bore little resemblance to the harsh croak with which
these birds accompany their flight by day. It was more
like the hum of a multitude of human voices ; it was dif-
ficult to resist the impression that such voices were really
aiding the din. Several inferior animals also found imi-
tators ; I could distinctly recognize the mew of the cat
and the chirrup of the squirrel.
My appearance created some distrust, which was not to
be wondered at, after the affair of the guns. When I
moved into sight from behind a tree the conversation
ceased. After a little while a few voices began a kind of
inquiring rfote, very plaintive and low ; doubtless asking
my motive, and deprecating hostility. Frequently an
entire cessation took place in the debate — a silent delib-
eration— during which, for one or two minutes, no sound
was heard, except the flapping of wings in the efforts of
the birds to keep their places on the limbs, from which
broken pieces were continually dropping. Though toler-
ant of my presence, the assembly did not seem disposed
to admit me to their councils. I have no doubt that the
subjects discussed were of the utmost importance, and I
would gladly have reported the speeches for the Free
Press, had they furnished me an interpreter.
For several succeeding nights the crows, to the great
delight of my family, continued their visits to the pines,
or to the taller trees in my grounds, but they held no
more mass meetings. I hoped that these trees would
form for them a secure retreat, and that the frequenters
might become half domesticated, like the rooks of Eng-
land. But some sporting characters again brought their
ill-timed guns upon them, killed many, and drove the
rest away, and they have gone to quarters unknown.
What these creatures find to subsist upon, in quantity
Digitized
by Google
304 '^^^ BIRDS, FURTHER CONSIDERED,
sufficient for such numbers, is a mystery. They are sup-
posed by some to consume the acorns, of which there is
great abundance, but I have never observed them at this
work, nor have I ever heard any blame attached to the
crows, as depredators upon the corn and grain fields, in
this State. They are naturally carnivorous, and consume
grubs, the larvae of beetles and insects; perhaps also
mice. Thus they are of real service to the farmer.
These sources of supply being cut off in the cold season,
it is said that they resort to carrion. But how they man-
age to find sufficient of this, or any other food, to sustain
life in winter is unexplained. A mile or more back from
the river are several slaughter-houses, and in the fall
crows may be seen, at almost all hours, in their vicinity.
Garbage and the carcasses of animals, that are often ex-
posed in the fields, without the city, may also attract
them. But why their so regular transits of the river I
have not been able to discover.
On the occasion of their visits to this vicinity, in the
winter of 1864-5, there was an enclosed lot near my resi-
dence, which had been recently manured with garbage
from the slaughter-houses. The crows were attracted to
this lot, and for many days settled there in considerable
squads. They ranged themselves about the heaps, as I
have often seen turkey-buzzards do, apparently satisfied
to be near such food, but though I watched them often,
I never once saw any engaged in eating. Late in the
afternoons these settled upon the pines before mentioned,
where they kept noisy council until far into the evening,
when all returned into Canada. Unless they live upon
smell, as the fairies do, they must find their chief subsist-
ence somewhere in Her Majesty's dominions.
The crow is one of the few birds that are attendants
Digitized
by Google
CROW CHARACTER,
305
upon civilization, continuing about the settlements of
man all the year. His resemblance to the rooks of Old
England, who make their nests under the protection of
lordly mansions, and roam undisturbed meadow and corn-
field, gives to our bird additional interest. I must how-
ever tell the whole truth, and am compelled to admit that
these black friends of mine were detected by a neighbor
depredating upon his young chickens. I was incredulous,
until convinced by the contents of the stomach. A few
days afterwards a young crow fell into my hands, and I
confined him in a cage in my orchard. Here he was
visited by the parent bird, who was actually seen carrying
to her captive child portions of the body of a chicken.
After these disclosures I no longer felt disposed to give
the crow such free title as before. At the same time I
remember in their favor that they destroy cutworms and
many things injurious to man, and are perhaps, to a cer-
tain degree, scavengers. I will not therefore withdraw
my protection, because of their occasional theft of things
that we value.
Finally, I love the crow for the independence of his
character. He keeps aloof from the servile throngs that
crowd around the habitations of men. Like the latter, he
has his parliaments, but he keeps his own counsel, and
cares nothing for those who differ from him.
" He sees that this great roundabout,
The world, with all its motley rout,
Church, army, physic, law,
Its customs and its businesses,
Is no concern at all of his,
And says — ^what says he ? — caw I " *
* Cowper.
Digitized by
Google
306 THE BIRDS, FURTHER CONSIDERED,
I much regret that wild turkeys have now been all
driven from this region by hunters. It has always
seemed to me that this bird would be our country's much
more appropriate emblem than the eagle. It certainly
represents our land better, and the national character
as it should be. The turkey was once common over all
the United States, and is peculiar to North America.
The eagle is found all over the world, and is peculiar to
no one country. It was the national bird of ancient
Rome, and is now of the almost equally extended empire
of Russia, as well as* of other lesser States. The eagle is
a bird of prey, does no service to man, nOr does it pos-
sess any noble qualities that compensate for the cruelty
and rapacity which are its nature. It is the inferior in
courage of many birds of far less pretension. It is a self-
ish bird, living for himself and by himself alone. The
turkey loves society and friendship ; he is devoted to liis
clan, who consort together in deliberative assemblies, and
act with that common consent which is the basis of demo-
cratic government. The turkey lives only on the fruits
of the earth, wherein he appropriately symbolizes the
agricultural character of our people. Even in the white-
ness and sweetness of its flesh, it is significant of the
good things in store for the citizens of a mild, paternal
government, that does not thrive by the woes of others.
It is a proud bird, too, as conscious of its merits, and in
the lustre and beauty of its plumage yields the palm to
no feathered creature. Those who see his form only
among the stuffed specimens of a museum have but a
very imperfect idea of the matchless beauty, the blended
shades and hues, and the noble bearing of the wild bird
in his prime, and in his native haunts.
It may be objected that so timid a creature does not
Digitized
by Google
THE WILD TURKEY,
307
represent the bold and active element of national char-
acter. But why should ferocity be paramount to the
peaceful qualities ? To be bold in defence of its rights,
and in its protecting care over its offspring, but not ag-
gressive upon the rights of others ; to be diligent in the
useful, and not disregardful of the ornamental, are qual-
ities which are paramount in the turkey. They are
worthy of any creature, and would befit the character of
a just nation.
We have had enough of '* spread-eagle " boasting over
our country's greatness 'and glory. That kind of vanity
has been humbled, and it would be well if, with the
emblem, it was repudiated altogether. Franklin, phi-
losopher as well as statesman, saw the inappropriateness
of the eagle as the emblem of his country, and proposed
the rattlesnake — an exclusively American animal, and
who always gives warning before he strikes. But a rep-
tile has not sufficient dignity for so important a purpose.
The turkey equally is exclusively American, and, while
he combines, in the highest degree, the useful and the
beautiful, is free from any of those qualities which in a
people cast a stain upon the national honor.
Of birds of America that collect in large flocks none
exceed in marvellous numbers the pigeon. Most persons
have heard about the immense roosts of this bird in some
of the sparsely settled portions of the West, and it has
been well known for years that they had one of their
favorite roosting-places in this State. But the great
pigeon-roost of 1874, in Benzie County, so far transcends
any other of which I ever read or heard, that I cannot
forbear transcribing for this chapter some graphic por-
tions of a letter to the New York Worlds by a corres-
Digitized
by Google
3o8 "^HE BIRDS, FURTHER CONSIDERED,
pondent from Frankfort, Michigan, dated June 25, 1874.
He says :
** The number of the birds this spring has exceeded
even anything recorded in the traditions of hunters and
oldest inhabitants. The miraculous flight of quails that
fell by the camp of the Israelites, a day's journey on this
side and a day's journey on the other side, and two
cubits high upon the face of the earth, is as nothing to
the * Betsey River nesting.* Imagine if you can a tract
of land about sixteen miles long and three wide, where
every bough is occupied by a dozen nests and a hundred
birds ; where the air whirrs from dawn till dark with
ceaseless wings ; where the flights that settle cover
square acres with a living carpet ; where from 250 to 400
men have for six weeks or more been engaged in trap-
ping and killing without cessation, and yet not made the
numbers appreciably less; imagine 50 square miles of
pigeons, and that is the scene. Almost daily armies of
re-enforcements fly northward from far-away Kentucky
and Missouri, the beat of whose wings and whose count-
less numbers obscure the sky, and emit a hollow roar, as
if a tornado or thunder-storm were -approaching.
" There are three regular * flights * a day — two * tom
flights ' and one * hen flight ! ' At early dawn the male
birds set out, flying to the east and north to seek a break-
fast of seeds and berries, 10, 20, or 50 miles away, and by
six or half-past six the sky is black with the departing
birds. They tower up in great armies to a considerable
height, each sheet of birds — sheet is the word that best
describes them — wavering a moment like the needle of
the compass when disturbed, then taking flight in the
appointed direction, with a unanimity and evenness of
speed that would make one believe that every bird was
Digitized
by Google
A PIGEON ROOST.
309
animated by the same impulse at the same instant. An
hour later not a bird is to be seen, but toward 8 o'clock
the rush of the returning armies is heard. Squadron
after squadron arrives, cleaving the air with unwearied
wing and unfailing sense, fluttering, wheeling and de-
scending, each division over its own district, each bird
over the nest of its faithful mate. As * tom ' after
' tom * returns to take his trick at the domestic helm,
* hen * after * hen * rises upward, and the armies of the
Amazons go out to the East and North. Towards 9
o'clock the scene is indescribable. It is a very atmos-
phere of wings ; earth and forest have been converted into
feathers, and the eye gazes down vistas of pigeons to far
horizons of squab pies and salmis de tourtes sauvages,
"By and by the last female departs, and the meek
males remain incubating with a faithfulness and amenabil-
ity to domestic discipline that would delight the sternest
unfeathered sister. In the middle of the afternoon the
hens return and the toms depart to make an evening of it,
returning before or about sunset. The late birds, who
stay out till dusk, having apparently the latch-key to their
several nests, seem bothered and fly very low, sweeping
along the ground till they get their bearings.
" Then begins such a slaughter as marked the coup d'etat,
Poles and clubs are the weapons, and at every sweep a
dozen birds, brained, crippled or maimed, tumble to the
earth. Scarcely less simple and efficient is the practice of
raking them down at night with poles, from the lower
branches where they roost. The foxes and, later, the hogs
fatten on the ungathered hecatombs that are left dead or
to die in the grass. T . ." The writer, after detailing
other and the principal modes of capturing this game,
adds : " The New York State Sportsmen's Association has
Digitized
by Google
3IO
THE BIRDS, FURTHER CONSIDERED,
taken 40,000 or 45,000 live birds from Frankfort, and
Fisher & Sons as many more, alive and dead, and as for
small dealers, it is impossible to say how many hundreds
of barrels and coops they sent away weekly.*'
Whether the lesser song birds favor this neighborhood
in any unusual degree I am unable to say, nor will I
undertake any extended mention of these universal favor-
ites of the wood, field and door-yard ; which would swell
my meagre notes into a treatise. Only let it be under-
stood, that the little I do say falls very far below the
standard of their merit and the admiration they excite.
It is certain that we have occasionally song birds of
more Southern habits. Possibly the extraordinary heat
which sometimes attends our summers, and the increased
number of insects then called forth, but more the charm
of our Northern woods and waters, are the prevailing in-
ducements to these extended journeys.
Among these Southern guests is the well-known mock-
ing-bird {Orpheus polyglottus), which is seen, though but
rarely, in this State. The powers of our Northern, or
" French mocking-bird,** more commonly known as the
brown thrush or thrasher, and ferruginous thrush {Orpheus
rufus), certainly compare most favorably with those of his
Southern cousin, and are not appreciated to the extent, it
seems to me, which they deserve. There is among nat-
uralists some difference of opinion, whether this bird is an
imitator, or his song native and only varied. The latter
is the generally received conclusion. It may seem strange
there should be any difficulty in determining the fact.
The natural song of this thrush is- so near an approach to
the cries of many animals, and even the voice of man,
and so many changes are rung by different individuals
or by the same at different times, that it is not easy to
Digitized
by Google
OUR NORTHERN MOCKERS.
311
distinguish between what is native and what is acquired.
I believe that he is a bom mimic, as well as somewhat of
a joker.
His notes are exceedingly joyous and playful, and full
of a sort of contemptuous triumph, as though he sought
to flout the rest of the world. May is his nuptial month,
and it is at this period he most delights us with his varied
melody and wild song. The nesting is done in some low,
sweet copse, hidden closely from the eye of man, but he
lauds himself in the full sight of day. In the early morn-
ing and evening particularly he makes the grove vocal,
and drowns the song of other birds. Mounting the top-
niost spray of the tallest tree in the vicinity of his lowly
home, he glances proudly around, and pours out his feel-
ings in a strain somewhat like this, — " chick, chick, chick,
— look here, look here ! wheu .... u, — what, what, you
did, you did, — tewee, tewee, (a soft treble) — where, where,
where! whi-r-r-e-e, (a whistle) — wh-i-r-r .... up. See
here, see here, — ho I who are ye ? who are ye?"
Going out one morning at sunrise I was greeted in this
manner: " What, what ! Up so early ? up so early !
Whew ! ha, ha, ha, ha, — go to bed again — to bed again.
You will ? you will ? ha, ha, wh-e-w ! " All the while I
could not catch sight of the saucy rascal, who from a lofty,
but leafy tree top thus jeered over my head at lazy man,
who spends in sluggard slumber those precious hours of
early day which are the very carnival time of these happy
songsters.
This kind of rhapsody is continued many minutes —
sometimes a full half hour — at a stretch. Then he quits,
only to find a new station and renew his wild refrain.
As soon as the young are hatched the cares of family are
a sad drawback to his gayety ; superseded, perhaps, by a
Digitized
by Google
312 THE BIRDS, FURTHER CONSIDERED.
deeper joy. At least his glad strains are heard at long
intervals, and are only feebly renewed until the next
nuptial season. But even this short season of song es-
tablishes for this mock-bird of the North a place in our
homage second to no other of our American choristers.
He is more than the rival of the Southern mocking-bird.
During the summer he is a frequent visitor to my
lawn, on the lookout for worms. Here he hops about,
almost as familiarly as the robins, contrasting with their
plump, well-to-do, cheery air his more slender and grace-
ful figure and quaker suit of sober brown. Though
easily tamed, he loses taste for his ambitious perform-
ances when caged. The Southern bird, on the contrary,
is very socially inclined, whether he be free or caged, and
has a natural tendency to domestication.
I will barely mention one other bird which is named
among our mockers — the cat-bird {Orpheus carolinensis)*
Aside from its harsh mew and other discordant notes, it
has a peculiarly sweet, low song of its own, which few
who note its harsh cry are aware of.
Birds, unfortunately, have often found their worst
enemy in man, though it is to be hoped that time has
nearly gone by. Game laws are now common in most of
the States, regulating by legal enactment the seasons
when, and the kinds of birds that may be killed for food
or sport. At last, Michigan has gone further still in the
right direction, by a law which prohibits at all times the
destruction of "song birds.*' If all cultivators of the
soil, as well as all lovers of birds, will be convinced of the
wisdom of this law and will see it enforced, we shall sopn
have full light on the mooted question, how far the little
plunderers of our grain and fruits are our real friends.
In this matter the Germans have shown much practical
Digitized
by Google
INSECTICIDES.
313
Wisdom, their laws aflfording protection to nearly all the
species of birds common to that country, and leaving no
useful bird outlawed.
Almost all birds are known to be insectivorous, and in
by far the larger number their chief food is animal and
not vegetable. If the records of those investigators who
pretend to accurate computations of the amount that
birds consume are reliable, it is almost incredible the
number of insect pests which are thus got rid of. It de-
fies calculation. We have statements like these: A family
of jays, with five young, requires for its commissariat, in a
season of one hundred days, 20,000 insects ; * Bradley,
an English writer, mentions watching a nest of birds and
discovering that 500 caterpillars were consumed in one
day ; ' the titmouse or chicadee is computed to destroy
over 200,000 eggs alone of noxious insects in a year.
Birds get at insects that man, with all his arts of
destruction, cannot reach ; on the topmost boughs — the
under side of leaves — in the crevices of bark — within the
tree itself — beneath the surface of the soil. If those who
kill birds that they chance to find in their grain fields or
fruit gardens will examine their crops, it will generally be
found that worms, insects and larvae constitute the prin-
cipal contents, greatly predominating over the vegetable
portions. With few exceptions the young of all birds are
fed with this kind of animal food. Robins and thrushes,
who make so free with some of our fruits, certainly do
not make these their chief food even at such times. The
whole summer long they are busily consuming our insect
foes, and when we see them upon our lawns they are
always diligently occupied in searching for and tugging
at the worms which infest the roots of grasses.
Dr. Trimble has devoted an active life to the discovery
Digitized
by Google
314
THE BIRDS, FURTHER CONSIDERED.
of the means of getting rid of the curculios and other
insects that are so destructive to fruits. Hear what he
says of the cedar-bird, that persistent plunderer of our
finest cherries, and who receives no mercy at the hands
of fruit lovers. " The cedar-bird, though it is a great
consumer of cherries and berries, feeds as freely on in-
sects. Canker-worms, beetles and other insects, injurious
to the foliage of fruit and shade trees, are devoured in
vast numbers by these birds. I have found as many as
thirty-six young canker-worms in the stomach of one, and
I have known companies of these birds come after a
species of canker-worm on a cherry tree several times
every day for two weeks during the last summer ; and
when I saw them afterwards feeding upon the cherries,
I felt that they had saved the crop and were entitled to a
part of it.**
But while our song birds sometimes receive legal pro-
tection against wholesale slaughter, other kinds, which
do not come under that appellation, are left without the
pale. The popular voice condemns the crow and the
blackbird. Legislatures have even offered rewards for
their destruction, together with woodpeckers and other
birds that are generally supposed to be injurious to the
crops ; and the whole family of hawks find in man a most
inveterate enemy. This discrimination is hardly fair to
the poor beings that suffer from it, and its wisdom is at
least very doubtful.
The food of these, as of most birds, is almost exclusively
animal. Naturalists who have studied the habits and ex-
amined the stomachs and crops, speak in their favor, as
the friends rather than the enemies of man, — even those
most proscribed by him. They are proved to be more
destructive to the pests of the planter than to his fruits
Digitized
by Google
CLAIMS TO PROTECTION.
315
and seeds. Their structure, too, confirms this judgment.
I think it a safe rule that birds of all kinds are of greater
benefit than injury to man, and are entitled to his pro-
tection, until experience shall have conclusively shown
the contrary.
Audubon defends the crow, which, he says, " devours
myriads of grubs every day in the year, that might lay
waste the farmer's fields ; it destroys quadrupeds innu-
merable, every one of which is an enemy to his poultry
and his flocks. "
Insects have been found to increase in proportion as
birds have been proscribed by public opinion and by law ;
so that, in some instances, counter legislation has become
necessary. This was the case with the rook in England
— a bird whose habits resemble those of our crow.
Now he enjoys protection from the law, and is every-
where the welcome guest of the people. Let such as
condemn the birds which they sometimes see eating
their corn or fruits, read "The Birds of Killingworth."
Longfellow's poem is no mere poetic fiction, but illus-
trates a truth which will soon come home to all who,
in the spirit of the old Spaniards, cut down their trees,
because they harbored the birds that consume their grain.
Even in this country, and near home, we have had exam-
ples of this kind of wisdom. I trust to see Michigan —
already in many things in the van of public opinion — so
amend her law as to include under its protection all the
birds that now suffer unjustly from its real or implied
proscription.* But still more, I trust to the advance of
an enlightened public opinion, and therefore throw in
my mite towards a just decision.
In our plea for the birds shall we make an exception of
the European sparrow ? Imported into New York City
Digitized
by Google
3i6 THE BIRDS, FURTHER CONSIDERED.
some twenty-five years ago, it is said they cleared the
trees in the parks of caterpillars that had long greatly in-
fested them. I have felt disposed to question the fact,
from my observations here. They had full opportunity
to do the same service to my linden trees, but did not.
They must have found America a congenial home, for
they have spread with wonderful rapidity, until now few
parts of the country are without them. Wherever these
saucy little fellows appear they take undisputed posses-
sion, driving out other birds, and asserting their superior
claims with mettlesome vivacity. They enliven the city
streets with their pert ways. They would leave the
farmer no grain to harvest, if it were not that they prefer
city life to country. No one seems to know whether
they have any good to balance their evil qualities, and
public opinion universally condemns them. I am happily
able to give one recent and notable instance of their in-
sectivorous habit. During the year 1885, the seventeen-
year locusts made their appearance in some of their old
haunts, and, among other places, in the vicinity of Wash-
ington. A scientific gentleman there watched the pro-
ceedings of the sparrows. He saw that they devoured
the insects voraciously, and at first whole. After awhile,
finding the supply so considerable, they satisfied them-
selves with thd bodies only, rejecting the wings and legs.
But the numbers being great and the birds satiated, they
began to content themselves with the heads only. In
this way they succeeded in clearing the whole district of a
pest that certainly would have proved a much more for-
midable enemy than its destroyers.
Much as we see of the birds, and many as are the
beautifuJ things told about them by such admirers as
Audubon, Wilson, and a host of lesser lovers, there
Digitized
by Google
BIRD WAYS. 317
is still enough that is unknown in their history to
arouse the interest of fresh observers. Could we, like
Prince Ahmed, of the fairy tale, understand the lan-
guage of these beings of the air, how much would their
song and twitter convey to us of the hidden mysteries of
their lives !
We know little about their courtships, the tender
communications of the married and the parental pair,
perhaps of their lovers* quarrels. For, though patterns
of conjugal fidelity, there are exceptions to the rule,
and known instances of jealousy and of unfaithfulness.
Have they Caudles among them too ? How do they de-
cide in selecting sites for their nests? We know that
many days of anxious search and inquiry are often con-
sumed in this business, and that individuals of the same
species do not follow an unvarying instinct. Which of
the lovers yields to the other, when there is difference of
opinion ? We will presume that the gallantry of the
husband abandons the decision to his chosen mate, else
why are these questions so readily settled and with so
little debate ? Does the married pair continue faithful
to their early love, during all the seasons that follow, and
do they always return — we know many do — to the same
nests? How are their deliberations conducted and
decisions arrived at, when, contemplating their long
journeys, they hold council together? What unknown
law or instinct regulates these migrations, and " guides
through the pathless air their certain flight ? " Have they
a correcter prescience than we, wise men, of the future,
of coming storms, of earlier or later renewals of the
spring ? Will they not some time impart to us this secret
and important knowledge ?
It may be that man is debarred from this kind of in-
Digitized
by Google
3i8 THE BIRDS, FURTHER CONSIDERED.
sight until he shall return to the innocence of that
happy era of which the poet tells us :
** When time was young,
And birds conversed as well as sung ; *'
when their conversation — he means to say — was under-
stood by human ears ; for even now they talk, and very
volubly, with each other. And even now we are on the
road to a more perfect knowledge, and have learned
enough of their language and ways to stimulate further
inquiries and keep alive enthusiasm.
It is wonderful how easily most birds may be tamed.
Whether or not those about my home, protected by the
law of the place, acknowledge more emphatically the
fact that they have here a safe asylum, certain it is that
they are very fearless and almost domesticated. Cher-
ries and favorite fruits suffer more, in consequence, but
such thefts are richly compensated by the crowd of song-
sters that charm us with their thousand winning ways.
Even old birds are easily caught, and it is almost a
daily occurrence, during the breeding season, that half-
fledged youngsters are brought into the house by some
of the family, fed and nursed for a few days, and sent
forth into their own world again. Almost any young
bird will scarcely make the attempt to escape after be-
ing held a few minutes in the hand, his feathers stroked,
and food given him. A five-minutes petting makes him
one of us. The old birds are naturally more wary, but
let suspicion once be removed, and they are readily
brought to recognize human kindness.
A male of that shy family, the cherry-bird, was capt-
ured in my grounds, on the very scene of his pilferings.
It was found that he had been wounded, though slightly,
Digitized
by Google
A GRATEFUL BIRD.
319
yet in such a manner that one wing had become glued
to his side by the dried gore, and was useless. He was
taken in charge by a lady of the household, bathed with
warm water, and fed with a few worms. He was at once
reconciled to his captor, ate ravenously the congenial
food, sipped water from his nurse's mouth, and sat upon
her finger, as familiarly as if they had been acquainted
for months, instead of minutes.
The result of this kind and brief attention exhibits in
a remarkable manner the readiness with which gratitude
may be awakened in the bird breast. The lady friend
after her nursing care, took him to the balcony of an
open window where the sun was shining, to diy his
drenched feathers. Here she began tossing him on her
finger and fluttering his wings. The impulse of his sud-
denly regained powers of flight was too strong to be re-
sisted, and the bird made speedy use of his wings to fly
to a neighboring tree. There he sat a few moments,
trimming himself ; then, as if conscious of the French
leave he had taken, he flew back to his protector,
alighted on her shoulder, and put his beak to her face,
as if in penitence for his forgetfulness ; but upon her at-
tempting to enter the house, he again made his adieu
and disappeared. But gratitude was not yet expended.
The next day, as his nurse stood in the window, he came
and alighted on the balcony, almost within reach, but he
would not permit nearer approach ; his old wariness was
returning, and on the attempt being made to capture
him, took his departure and was seen no more.
Every one loves the birds, but it is only one who
truly loves and revels in country pleasures that appreci-
ates to the full this source of enjoyment. Birds are the
earliest acquaintances that greet us in the spring, when
Digitized
by Google
320 '^^^ BIRDS, FURTHER CONSIDERED.
no feeling heart can resist their nuptial notes of gladness.
They continue to haunt our homes, and flit about our
gardens and copses, still uttering their songs, in some-
what soberer strains, during the long days of summer;
and some remain to cheer that bleak season, when so
much of nature is dormant, becoming more familiar with
us as they more need our care.
Wherever heard or seen, they communicate to our
bosoms the joy which inspires their songs, and they
teach us heedful lessons of conjugal love and domestic
felicity. How large a share indeed of the charm of
rural life is due to the birds !
Digitized
by Google
FOUR-FOOTED INHABITANTS.
Digitized
by Google
" Himself to Nature's heart so near
That all her voices in his ear
Of beast or bird had meanings clear."
Whittier.
ik every family should have a dog (or a cat or a parrot) ; it is
\g a perpetual baby ; it is the plaything and crony of the whole
t keeps them all young." — Dr. John Brown.
Digitized
by Google
FOUR-FOOTED INHABITANTS.
Springwells, , 1 85 1.
DEAR TOM : — I am not a naturalist, but am by no
means indifferent to the brute creation around me,
and such facts and observations as I have garnered, in
this my distant home, are heartily at your service.
Beasts of prey have been far from numerous in this
neighborhood for many years. Yet we hear occasionally
of their depredations. There are in this county swamps
which are the resort of bears, and from which they some-
times emerge upon the settlements, stealing a pig or two.
The Detroit journals once in a while give, for the morn-
ing entertainment of their readers, accounts of the ma-
rauding exploits of these animals, within five or six miles
of the city.
In 1839, during a night which I passed at the village of
New Port, on St. Clair River, several bears visited the
place, their tracks being plainly visible in the streets the
next morning.- They are still quite common about the
remoter settlements.
While encamped in the woods of Michigan, at many
places I have heard ** the wolf's long howl," but never
caught a sight of the *' varmints.** Large bounties of-
fered by most of the counties for their scalps have so re-
duced their numbers, that, except in the extreme settle-
ments, we seldom hear of any depredations committed
by them. Sheep in the vicinity of our towns suffer more
from dogs than from their wilder cousins.
323
Digitized
by Google
324
FOUR-FOOTED INHABITANTS,
Another of the disturbing cries of the remoter forests is
that of the lynx. It is so like the voice of a man that
I have been deceived by it, while following a newly
blazed township line, and made frequent rests, answer-
ing back, under the impression that some man had lost
his way, and was endeavoring to overtake me. The
animal was indeed following our trail, stopping and ut-
tering his cries at each pausing place, attracted probably
by the scent of the provender we carried in our knapsacks.
Such fierce brutes as panthers and catamounts are but
little known in Michigan, even in the wilder portions of the
upper peninsula. As to still fiercer brutes, every school-
boy knows that the poet Campbell had no zoological
authority for his line :
" On Erie's banks where tigers steal along."
\iv\^^% panthers were intended, this is rather a strain even
upon the poetic license.
In my experience of many nights passed in the soli-
tudes of Lake Superior, my camp was never disturbed
by the presence of wild animals, nor suffered from their
thefts ; which is more than I can say for the lords of
creation, white or red.
In the fall of 1850, while at Yankee-Springs, in Barry
Co., a hunter brought into the village a wild-cat which he
had just shot. It -measured three feet from snout to end
of tail ! The animal measured in height, standing, eigh-
teen inches. Color of back a dark gray; belly and
thighs spotted, like a lynx. Its resemblance to the do-
mestic cat is most striking, particularly in the face, but
the tail of the wild animal is very dissimilar, being only
three inches in length. The man said he shot it on the
openings, a mile from the village; that being intent
Digitized
by Google
THE VOL VE RENE,
32s
upon a deer, he at first supposed the catamount to be a
rabbit. The cat was hunting mice, and was equally ob-
livious of the man's presence.
The wolverene, which has given a pseudonym to the
inhabitants of Michigan, might on that account be sup-
posed to abound in the State. But the fact is, the animal
is extremely rare. It may have been, and probably was,
once numerous, since the beaver and muskrat, which are
its prey, abounded in our rivers and marshes.
Not long ago I saw the stuffed skin of a wolverene at
a fur store in Detroit. It was considered a great curi-
osity, on account of the rarity of this fierce quadruped.
Some of the oldest inhabitants, even that old fur-trader,
James Abbott, had never before seen one. This skin,
which was brought from Lake Superior, measured, from
snout to extremity of tail, 3 feet 10 inches ; the tail be-
ing about 8 inches and very bushy. The hair is coarse,
• but long and brushy, like that of a bear. Indeed, the
resemblance to that animal is quite close in some par-
ticulars. Its color is mottled brown and black, with a
patch of white under throat and breast. The claws are
long, sharp, and much hooked, the legs stout and hairy
down to the claws, like those of a bear, and the hind
feet, like the bear's, are plantigrade. The snout appears
to be long and tapering, but from the imperfect manner
in which this specimen was preserved, this feature could
not be accurately determined. I have been told by an
Indian that it climbs trees as the bear does, which from
the similarity of its structure seems probable.
Though not large, this beast is very formidable ; its
great strength and ferocity making it a terror to animals
larger than itself. It is known to the French voyageurs
Digitized
by Google
326 FOUR-FOOTED INHABITANTS.
as the carcajou, — probably a corruption of its Indian
name.
Among predatory animals, the fox had not been en-
tirely extirpated from these parts at the time of my first
residence. I saw in 1836, in the sandy lands at Spring-
wells, several fox holes, and could hear the bark of the
inmates, but sly Reynard kept himself concealed. The
holes were a curiosity, being large enough almost to
admit a man, and running to a considerable distance,
judging from the large heaps of sand collected about the
mouth. Master John, one of my young neighbors, who
showed them to me, thinks they all terminate in an ex-
tensive apartment, — the social parlor of the clan.
Quite recently a red fox established a hiding-place
under the portico of my house, from whence he made
sundry destructive raids into the hen-roosts.
Among the rarest of animals sought for their fur is the
silver-gray fox. Its skin commands a high price, and is
said to be particularly esteemed by the nobility of
Russia. I saw recently the skin of one of those foxes,
caught in Michigan. Its gray fur is tipped or, as it were,
frosted with white, like frozen vapor, an appearance both
unique and beautiful.
Of the smaller animals that make inroads upon our
poultry, the skunk is one of the most numerous and
troublesome. It is by no means so cunning as the fox,
and if found at a distance from its retreat is easily killed.
I will not say caught, for direful consequences frequently
attend even the operation of killing. Without seeking
them, the inmates of the mansion have bat too often an
all -pervading notice of their presence near the premises.
The house dog sometimes encounters one, and in con-
sequence his approach to the family must be tabooed for
Digitized
by Google
FREDA TOR V ANIMALS.
327
several days. The horses not unfrequently come from
the stable strongly redolent of a perfume which is neither
musk nor ottar of roses.
But they are a beautiful animal, and might be par-
doned the moral pollution of their thieving habits if
they would refrain from tainting the physical atmosphere.
I once came upon a family of young ones, which had
crept out of a hole beneath an out-house. They were
mostly white, and playful as kittens, rolling themselves
together in such a complicated way, that, like the Dutch-
man's frisky pig, it was impossible to count them. Al-
though the fur is coarse, I once received from an Indian
a tobacco-pouch made, of the skin of this creature, which
was deservedly prized for its beauty. I have been told
of Frenchmen who domesticate the animal, as they do a
cat, in their household, and who know how to extract the
odorous sack.
These are among our pests. I am pleased, on the con-
trary, with the presence of those little depredators, the
squirrels, and will not allow them to be shot — if I can
help it — on my grounds. , One of the pleasures of the
country consists in watching the habits of animals, and
the squirrel tribe is so lively and graceful, that his win-
ning ways atone for all his petty thefts from the field
and corn-crib. Gladly would I domesticate him — a not
difficult task — if dogs, boys and guns could be kept at a
respectful distance. He shall be free, so long as I have
sway, to come and go, to hibernate on my premises, to
glean the nut trees, and of course to lay up stores of
acorns.
But though dogs may be taught to respect these wards
of their master, not so the cat. A colony of the little
red squirrel, which had become quite tame, and amused
Digitized
by Google
328
FOUR-FOOTED INHABITANTS.
US with their lively gambols from tree to tree, just in
front of the house, were all murdered by a mere kitten, —
a famous mouser and bird-catcher, who in turn suffered
the penalty, but only too late.
The little red squirrel is the most abundant, but we
are visited also by the larger gray-and-black species, and
the fox squirrel. All these would become frequent and
well-contented visitors in my grounds if they could be
protected from lawless sportsmen.
It is only in recent years that the flying squirrel has
come to my knowledge as an inhabitant of my premises.
My first discovery connected with them was the finding
of several holes in a poplar tree, about fifteen feet from
the ground, and seeing a small animal issue from one.
Each of these holes was about an inch diameter, and as
exactly circular as if smoothly bored with an auger.
Running to the top of the tree the creature made a
spring into the air, and spreading its webs, — which are
wings in the same sense as a bat*s, — reached another tree
fully a hundred feet distant. Its flight was not horizon-
tal, but in a descending line, which bore it to the tree
at only a few feet above the ground. The animal does
not merely spread its membranous sides, but has a bal-
ancing motion, like that of birds sailing through the air,
which no doubt greatly assists to sustain it, and its prog-
ress may fairly be called a flight. It evidently has
some command of its wings, beyond that of a mere par-
achute, for I observed that when a few feet from the tree,
instead of continuing its direct course, which would have
carried it to the ground, it changed the direction to that
of an upward curve, alighting on the tree.
About two years ago I fixed up a bird-house in a small
tree, where it was sharply contended for, and finally taken
Digitized
by Google
NUT-COLLECTORS.
329
possession of by a pair of bluebirds. After the first year
I observed that birds no longer frequented it, and on
getting up to investigate, out rushed a flying squirrel,
which immediately, as is its wont, ascended the highest
branch, and thence took flight. This adoption of an
abode so near my own would have been a very pleasing
incident, but for the fact that these little animals seldom
make their appearance by day, coming out only after
nightfall, so that their acquaintance is rare and unsatis-
factory.
I have discovered one other nut-collector in our neigh-
borhood. While chopping one winter day in the woods,
I found in a hollow tree a nest of deer-mice. They were
snugly housed in various soft materials, and had an en-
trance just large enough for their purpose, at the height
of two feet from the ground. It was small enough to ex-
clude their enemies, the black squirrels, who — the thiev-
ing rogues — I very much fear help to maintain them-
selves during the winter by depredating upon their weaker
neighbors. Cruel as we may sometimes deem it, the law
of the strongest is nature's law :
" ^the simple plan,
That he should take who has the power,
And he should keep who can.**
In the wild state, almost uHiversally, one half of life is
spent in providing for self-gratification, and the other in
self-preservation against natural enemies.
Just over this nest were found two quarts of peeled
acorns, with a large quantity of beach-nuts and seeds.
These little creatures, it seems, by no means lie dormant
through the long, cold winter. They are a harmless ani-
mal, never found except in the forest.
The American deer formerly abounded in these parts,
Digitized
by Google
330
FOUR-FOOTED INHABITANTS,
and IS still hunted and killed in considerable numbers
not many miles from the city. Settlements have now
excluded them from this vicinity. In the early days of
my residence here it was not an uncommon thing to find
them in the woods that bordered the clearings, within
sight of the dwellings along the river road. I have seen
one in full day making his way down a lane which led
from the woods to a pond on my farm, probably at-
tracted by the water. He had almost reached it, when,
catching sight of my terrible self, he turned and bounded
back to his covert. I was reminded of CampbelFs de-
scription, in " Gertrude of Wyoming " :
"The wild deer arched his neck from glades, and then
He sought his woods and wilderness again.'*
In my first drive through the oak-openings of our pe-
ninsula, which I recall with infinite delight, frequent
glimpses of deer were caught, through the open park-like
timber. Sometimes they would come out and stand in
the road, curiosity for awhile overcoming their natural
timidity.
During my horseback rides it has several times hap-
pened that I came upon deer standing with the cattle,
near a farmer's homestead. They seem to have no fear
of these domesticated anin^als, nor of the horse, and they
evidently did not notice the rider, until close upon them,
when they instantly turned and fled. That * the fear and
the dread of man * has been impressed * upon every beast
of the field * since the days of Adam is no compliment to
man. It would not have been so, but for the discovery
of his duplicity and cunning.
The deer is so readily domesticated that it would be
easy to stock every farm or gentleman's grounds with
Digitized
by Google
DEER^WILD AND TAME, 331
them, as is so largely done in Europe. But a game-
keeper would be necessary, and so near as this is to a
considerable city, the case is difficult. I made the exper-
iment with several that had been reared from fawns, two
of which were with me for two years, and until the
buck's horns had sprouted several inches. They roamed
at large through a woodland pasture of some 20 acres.
This was enclosed by a six-foot picket fence, with a light
wire railing next the grounds, and provided in winter with
a warm shelter for the night. But boys or men» dogs and
guns, caused the loss of all of them, much to the regret of
the children, for they become very tame, and delight to
be petted. The bucks are sometimes saucy, and a little
dangerous to timid children. They will not attack a
courageous boy, but beat down and strike with their
hoofs one who runs from them.
I must mention that one of the deer, frightened out of
the enclosure, which they could jump in a moment of
terror, swam the river, — a mile to the Canadian shore, —
whence he was returned to me, after a long time.
In woods frequented by deer, it is quite common to
find their horns, which are shed every year. These have
been found pierced through the trunks of trees. I have
several times seen sections of trees preserved as curios-
ities, in which the horn appeared with its root on one side
and the tip projecting on the other. It is commonly be-
lieved that the animal has forcibly driven this weapon
through the wood. Such a feat is impossible. The
probability is, that, in the effort to disencumber himself
of his horns, the buck rubbed them so hard against a sap-
ling as to break through the bark, and wedge the tree
firmly between the antlers. These remain fixed, and the
wood grows over them.
Digitized
by Google
332
FOUR-FOOTED INHABITANTS,
Sometimes the antlers of two deer are found inter-
locked. I have seen a pair so firmly wedged together
that they could not be separated. In this situation they
were found in the forest, with the skeletons of their
owners. Either in play or fight they had intertwined
their horns, and unable to part them had thus perished.
Probably they were engaged in fierce combat. And
what a weird thought, that a blow aimed in mutual hate
should have linked two foes together, and made them in
their unhappy fate inseparable.
Elks and moose deer are still found in the northern
and little settled portions of our lower peninsula, where I
have seen the tracks of both, and procured the meat of
the former, which I thought superior to venison.
A few years ago, an unusual spectacle appeared in our
city streets : a fine male elk, harnessed to a sleigh, and
drawing two men. His owner was a farmer near Detroit.
The poor animal seemed to submit very unwillingly to
this slavery, and panted much after a drive of four
miles.
The same day a Mormon exhibited here, from Salt
Lake, two female elks. They were beautiful animals,
and though bearing a general resemblance to the red deer,
had a camel-like crook to the neck, and were quite
shaggy. Their color was gray, with light cream-colored
rumps ; tail very short ; the head beautiful, with fine
pointed nose, and lively, good-natured eyes, very black.
Of the small and common fur-bearing animals, the musk-
rat still remains with us in considerable numbers, making
every season his house of reeds and mud in my pond and
in the marshes which margin the river, at and about the
mouth of the Rouge. When the winter frosts have cut
down the rushes and wild rice, these houses become
Digitized
by Google
TRAITS OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS.
333
very picturesque objects, rising several feet above the
water, and looking like hay-cocks.
That ingenious animal, the beaver, once so numerous
in this part of the country, is exterminated. But he has
left many traces of his former labors in the beaver-dams,
still visible about the interior marshes, and in which the
logs and sticks that composed their foundation are still
to be found, deeply covered with soil. Though I have
never met with the living animal, I have several times
seen trees that had been recently cut down by them,
along our Northern streams. The marks show that quite
large chips were cut out by their powerful teeth, and
the stump is left with a cone-shaped top.
Truly Yours.
Springwells.
Dear Tom : — Perhaps it will interest you if I follow
up my epistle of last week with an equally volumi-
nous one on the traits of domestic animals. These
are a source of great amusement to me, in town or
country. But in the latter, as there is more freedom,
opportunities for observing them are greater.
Everybody in the country keeps one or more dogs.
Every Canuck, it is well known, keeps five. The first
which acknowledged me master was of the " bull " variety
and aptly named Veto, He received his cognomen with
his puppyhood, about the time of President Jackson's
famous bank veto, but he earned it afterwards by his
Jacksonian qualities and boldness in my service.
For several years my farm was greatly pestered with
ponies of the little Canadian breed, owned by some of my
neighbors, but running at large. These were branded
with their owner's initials or mark, which was all the
Digitized
by Google
334
FOUR-FOOTED INHABITANTS,
evidence of ownership ever exhibited, until they were
transferred by sale into other hands. They received no
care whatever, were neither housed nor fed through the
long, cold winters, but browsed and foraged for them-
selves, and contrived to ** make by hook or crook a decent
living.**
Of course there were many days when they must either
starve or steal, and as no merely lawful fence could re-
strain the strongest ones, they lived by depredation.
Most of the land of their owners was still in a state of
nature. Mine had a more extended cultivation, stretch-
ing back a long distance between woods belonging to
my neighbors. To keep out these marauders was prac-
tically impossible. To impound them, or take the law in
the case, was difficult and costly, and besides brought on
disagreeable quarrels. Yet a tame acquiescence in the in-
jury could not be thought of.
These ponies would scour along the road, and down
the lane, like a troop of fiends, making night hideous,
break down my fences, visit my barn and stacks, and paw
up my grass, which they bit to the very roots. Going
forth in the morning I would find a troop of horse in
possession.
In this extremity, Veto stood me in good stead. He
was large and powerful. He would seize a horse by the
nose, and maintain his grip until the terrified animal
was fairly out of the pasture and thrown to the ground.
I have known a powerful horse leap a fence, with the
dog hanging to his nose by the teethj and refusing to let
go his hold. Cattle sometimes entered the field by the
gap which the horses had made. These Veto would
seize, sometimes by the tail, and suffer himself to be
dragged to the extremity of the enclosure.
Digitized
by Google
FREE COMMONERS.^VETO, 335
One of my. own cows once came near being the victim
of his fierce attacks. Her face had by some means be-
come plastered with mud, and as she was entering the
open gate with the others, at nightfall, was not recog-
nized by the watchful dog. He sprang furiously forward
and was on the point of seizing her by the nose, when he
discovered the mistake. It was curious to see his look of
mortification as he slunk away, ashamed of having com-
mitted such a blunder.
Having attempted in vain to procure a law passed at
town -meeting, restraining horses from being free com-
moners,— this Canadian custom being even yet too strong
for modern innovation, — I became at times sufficiently
exasperated to use my gun, and sting the robbers with
fine shot. One day I was going to the woods, my gun
loaded by chance with buckshot. Finding the meadow
full of ponies, now grown so prudent as to keep well out
of range of dog and small shot, I was tempted to fire at
a white mare, who with her colt was a chief sinner.
Both were touched pretty severely. On my return the
colt was found dead, and the dam, tamed by her loss,
stood mourning over him, and permitted my approach.
Though I had convinced myself that the act was justi-
fiable, on witnessing the result I felt it to be cruel. It
was indeed piteous to witness the affection of the mother,
herself wounded, and moaning over her offspring. I felt
the pity of mutilating these fine animals, who are not to
blame for the neglect of their owners. I could not re-
peat the harsh remedy.
Early one January morning, I found my farmer driv-
ing ponies out of the meadow, and resolved to secure
some of them, with intent to advertise and claim dam-
ages. This was no easy matter. With the assistance of
Digitized
by Google
336
FOUR-FOOTED INHABITANTS,
a third person we drove them into a smaller enclosure,
where we noosed four by the feet, and secured them with
rope halters. One, known to be the property of my next
neighbor, was turned over to him. Two were black
mares, and had to be halter-broken. They were mastered
after some obstinate resistance. The remaining one was
a fine young horse, full of fire and strength, that had
never felt curb or halter. It may be supposed that he
was not inclined to surrender. Driving him close to the
fence, and there tying him by his noosed foot, we con-
trived to fasten a rope to his head. With these double
means of restraint, four persons now undertook his con-
quest. His eyes flashed, and his nostrils dilated with
fear. With sudden impulse he would bound almost
away from our grasp. At last, exhausted with exertion
and terror, he was dragged to the stable.
My triumph seemed complete, when the neighbor
whose property I had suffered to escape came over on a
tour of observation. He informed me that the spirited
young animal was his property, the other two that of
another French neighbor. Rubbing up the long hair,
brands were discernible. He informed me further, being
himself one of the appraisers, that my fence, though of
extraordinary height and strength, did not conform, in
some of the numerous requirements, to the fence law.
So, fearful of a flaw in my case, and averse to altercation
with neighbors, I gave the captured animals release. The
remedial project consumed the day, the only profit being
the sport which the occasion afforded.
Veto at length came to a violent end. After recover-
ing from repeated shot wounds, doubtless revengefully
inflicted, he at last succumbed, under the combined
effects of wounds and poison.
Digitized
by Google
MEDOC—DASH. 337
'* Doters upon dogs ** would be delighted with Medoc, a
dog purchased for me by a friend at Mackinac. He is of
the breed much employed by the French at that place
for draught purposes. On being admitted to my house-
hold he was deaf to all language addressed to him except
French, but was obedient to orders delivered in the
tongue with which he was familiar. A wagon and har-
ness had been constructed with which he goes to market,
drawing home the articles purchased. He has drawn in
this way a barrel of flour from the store. When the load
is heavy he does not refuse to pull, nor become cross and
sullen, like uneducated dogs, but buckles down to the
task like a well-bred draught horse, pulling stoutly over
the hard places, and doing his utmost. He is of medium
size only, not very stoutly built, of pure white, and has a
tail not more than an inch long, the size natural to that
breed.
A friend of mine is owner of a dog named Dask, noted
not only for his precipitancy, but for a very capacious
mouth. Of this open feature sundry anecdotes are
related, not less curious than true, in convincing proof
of which I submit the following :
This capacious mouth was twice put to singular use.
A mouse had taken refuge in a closet, and Dash being
called, soon cornered the varmint, and made at him so
fiercely, with distended jaws, that the poor terrified creat-
ure, seeing no chance of escape, or mistaking the wide
open mouth for a hole of refuge, or perhaps resorting to
stratagem — if we may credit so much sagacity to a sorry
mouse — leaped into the living sepulchre. Snap went
the jaws: the prey was securely entrapped. But those
prison doors could not remain long shut, and when they
Digitized
by Google
338
FOUR-FOOTED INHABITANTS.
again opened, the mouse, seizing the opportunity, made
good his escape.
On the other occasion referred to, a mouse had made
his way into the store-chest of a boat, and the like refuge
presenting itself, it leaped in, as did the other. But on
this occasion the little animal, not discovering the nature
of the trap, made its way directly down the dog's throat.
No " presto change '* 'ever created greater astonishment
than did this sudden annihilation. Dash was not equal
to the solving of the riddle, and his look of bewilderment,
as he sought everywhere for the vanished game, was very-
amusing.
Another instance of the valuable purpose that a dog*s
capacious jaws subserved has come to my knowledge,
although it did not occur under my own observation. It
was told me on the best authority, and is a striking in-
stance of the sagacity and devotion to his master's inter-
ests of the faithful animal whose actions I have been
recording.
A family in C, New York State, kept a fine mastiff and
a canary bird. One day the latter escaped from its cage,
and, the window being open, flew out, and perched upon
a shed in the rear of the house. Every effort was made
by members of the family to secure the fugitive. He
would not be caught, nor would he be enticed by food to
enter his cage, nor by the artifice of a trap-cage and bird.
After two days* useless efforts, the attempt was aban-
doned, and the bird given up for lost. In the evening of
the second day, as the master was seated with friends in
the parlor, the dog entered and approached him. By
pressing against his legs he induced his master to notice
him. The latter then rose from his seat, the dog contin-
uing his demonstrations by leading towards the door.
Digitized
by Google
DOG CHAT.
339
Seeing that the animal was on an errand, the gentleman
followed into another room, where hung the empty bird-
cage, towards which the dog s eyes and nose were directed.
The master now perceived, for the first time, that some-
thing like a feather was sticking out of a corner of the
creature's mouth. He took down the cage, and its door
and the dog's mouth being opened simultaneously, out
rushed the lost canary, from its new prison into the old
one, uttering a loud and gleeful chirrup, which ended
in a song the moment it reached the accustomed perch.
Before bringing this dog chat to an end, I must add a few
parting words about one of the smallest of his kind, a
little dwarfed specimen of a black-and-tan terrier, named
Pete. We used to call him Melancholy Pete, for his
misanthropic look and cynical disposition. Pete well un-
derstood his position as pet of the household, and con-
sidered the whole dignity of the family. centred in his
single small person. He became very angry when any
meanly dressed person was admitted into the house, and if
by chance such person came into the parlor his offended
dignity drove him into the dark corner, from which he
would not emerge for some time after the offending vis-
itor had departed. The children amused themselves with
his moroseness, pointing finger and making faces at him,
which he resented with much surliness. He died finally
of a broken heart, caused by the admission of another
dog of the same species as a pet into the family. Poor
sensitive Pete. How many ambitious lives, like thine,
surrounded with every luxury, still fail of happiness !
After these " desultory dottings down upon dogs,'* you
may be pleased with a few " cursory cogitations concern-
ing cats."
I have to relate a singular incident illustrative of strong
Digitized
by Google
340 FOUR-FOOTED INHABITANTS,
natural affection in this much slandered animal. I must
premise that at the time of the introduction of Medoc
into the household, my domestic establishment was
graced by two feline pets : Nora, 2^ fine Angora cat, and
her son Jose.
Medoc's disposition was by no means savage, but rather
peaceable ; but he could resent indignity. Nora, on the
contrary, was fiercely hostile to the whole canine race,
and would consent to no familiarity with them. Hith-
erto she had always succeeded in keeping every dog
at a distance, and she commenced immediate war upon
Medoc. His dogship at first submitted to her unfriendly-
demonstrations with exemplary patience, the only sign
of resentment being a growl. Nora was implacable, and
on a second occasion, when he entered her presence, fle^v
at his face with her sharp claws. The dog, a little
aroused, but still generous, seized her by the neck, and
administered a gentle shake, by way of reproof. A third
time puss repeated her offensive conduct, flying in his
face, with the added insult of hissing and spitting at him.
This was more than his wounded dignity could bear.
" Three times and out ** was Medoc*s motto. He seized
her in his strong jaws, but this time by the spine, and
my beautiful Angora was dead in an instant.
Nora had shown great partiality to her son Jose, con-
senting for his sake, I believe, to the death of a recent *
litter, in order that her favorite of a year old might con-
tinue to nurse. Jose showed equal fondness. A grave
was dug for the dead mother in the yard, where she was
deposited with befitting solemnities, the kitten watching
the proceeding. Jose then took possession of the grave,
which no persuasion could induce him to quit. He re-
fused all sustenance, was often seen scratching the earth,
Digitized
by Google
CONCERNING CATS.
341
and was at length found dead upon the body of his
mother, — an example of filial love very rare, and sur-
passing even that of a parent for its offspring.
I was afterwards possessor of a feline of the sterner sex,
a fine large animal of pure white, who became a great
favorite, and who was equally attached to me. He al-
ways came into the parlor to be petted or lie at my feet,
when he heard my footsteps in the house, after out-door
labor was over. During my temporary absences of sev-
eral days, he would seize the occasion to absent himself
on hunting expeditions, after ascertaining that I was not
in the parlor at the usual time, but he always returned
to greet me when I came back.
Tom would perform a number of tricks at my mandate,
such as jumping through my arms, or over my head, and
these he would do for no one else. One of his tricks was
to feign death. . At the word " die " he would lie per-
fectly still, and suffer himself to be lifted and carried
about, like a defunct, for the amusement of the company.
This cat had a brother of the same breed, and both
were trained hunters. Tom and Jerry usually hunted in
couples. Stealing forth together, one would tree the
game, or keep it at bay, while the other ** went in ** and
secured it. This proceeding they would change about,
so as to give each an equal opportunity of indulging in
the pleasanter part of the performance.
Poor Tom died of an asthma. He was accustomed to
be fed by one of the ladies of the family, to whom, next
after myself, he was most attached. During his sickness
he slept in her room, upon a bed prepared for him, and
she alone administered his medicines. One day his nurse
discovered him lying upon her own bed, and scolded him
somewhat sharply. Tom immediately left her room, turn-
Digitized
by Google
342
FOUR-FOOTED INHABITANTS.
ing at the door and hissing, and would never again be
induced to return, nor would he, in his peevish resent-
ment, permit any further acts of kindness on the part of
his former friend. He retired to a lonely room, where a
few days afterwards he Was found dead. Alas ! loving,
but too sensitive Tom !
Domestic animals — the dog, for instance — often exhibit
a horror of music, but I can testify to a contrary taste in
a cat.
My family had been frequently awakened in the night
by the tones of a piano in measured cadence sounding,
sometimes passing through all the notes of the gamut,
from bass to treble. It was some time before this musical
ghost was laid. This was effected by the discovery that
the piano was sometimes carelessly left open, after the
evening hymn, and that on these occasions puss improved
her opportunity for practising. She did so by walking
forwards and backwards over the keys, evidently greatly-
relishing the harmony,
** In linked sweetness long drawn out."
Powers of fascination have been ascribed to the cat, in
common with the snake, but the fact has been disputed.
I was witness to an occurrence which seemed to me con-
firmatory of its truth.
Sitting under my porch one day, my attention was
attracted by an incessant chirping. I soon discovered a
small bird, hopping continually from branch to branch of
a tree, ten feet or more from the ground. Casting my
eyes below they fell upon my domestic tabby, sitting
composedly on the grass, and apparently not noticing
the bird. I could not determine whether or not the chirp
was a cry of distress, but the poor little bird seemed to
be under some spell, for each time he hopped lower, and
Digitized
by Google
PETS,
343
still lower, and at last down to the ground. In an in-
stant puss sprang and seized upon the prize thus offered
up, a voluntary victim.
Doubtless you, in common with many of my friends,
some of whom I know to be lovers of pets, can relate
anecdotes quite as curious as any of these. I record them
as among the treasured recollections of early and happy
days, amid quiet enjoyments and in rural pleasures
passed.
Your true friend.
Digitized
by Google
Digitized
by Google
WILD ANIMALS OF MICHIGAN.
Digitized
by Google
" When we discovered this vast continent it was full of wild beasts. A
handful of Frenchmen has made them almost entirely disappear in less than
an age, and there are some the species of which is entirely destroyed. They
killed the elks and moose-deer merely for the pleasure of killing them, and
to show their dexterity." — Charlevoix, 1721.
Digitized
by Google
WILD ANIMALS OF MICHIGAN.
TO render this subject more complete, I append to
the foregoing letters some later and more syste-
matic observations.
The diversity of climate of the 'United States affords to
mammalian life a large range, compared with Europe.
And in this respect no portion of our country of equal
extent is more favorable than our peninsulas of mingled
prairie, oak-openings and timbered lands, and giving the
advantages of a softened lake climate on the south, with
that of a more cold and broken country on the north.
Our existing mammalia include only three orders.
Rapaciuy Rodentia and Ruminantiay unless we may claim
a Marsupial — the Opossum. This animal, I have been in-
formed, once existed in or not far from this neighborhood,
but I will not vouch for the fact.
With all our vast extent of sea-like waters, neither any
of the whale kind (Cetacce) nor of the seal kind (Pkocidce)
visit our fresh-water seas.
Among the Carnivora, or Rapacia, in the family Ves-
pertilionidce, we have several species of Bats. But, ex-
cepting the common bat {Vespertilio novaboracensis) and
the little brown bat (F". siibulatus) I am not familiar with
them.
The family Sorecidce, or Shrews, which belongs both to
the Old World and the New, has two species in Michigan,
of the genus Sorex, — 5. platyrhinus and 5. talpoides.
The Moles, family Talpidce, abound in every part of
347
Digitized
by Google
348
WILD ANIMALS OF MICHIGAN.
North America. In our State, in genus Scalops, are the
prairie mole (5. argentatus) and the common mole (S.
aquaticus)y that so persistently burrows beneath the sod
and the walks, in pursuit of worms. Genus Condylura
includes the star-nosed mole (C cristata\ which is more
rare. ^
Of the family Ursidce Michigan has, in common with
the northern portion of the Union, the Black Bear, Ra-
coon, Badger, and Wolverene; though these have all
nearly disappeared from this neighborhood.
That bears had not all been exterminated from this
part of the State down to a recent date is apparent from
an item which appeared in the Detroit Free Press, in
1871.
A resident of Springwells, named Tyrell, brought into
the city the skin of a bear, shot near Algonac» on St. Clair
River, where he had been hunting, about which he had a
story to tell.
Just at dark he had traced the animal into a swamp,
but concluded to wait until morning before coming to
close quarters. He had just made his way to dry land
when two bears appeared on the ridge, two rods in front
of him. Levelling his rifle he fired, and the next moment
both animals were coming down upon him at full speed.
There was no time for reloading. The hunter dropped
his gun, and made for a scrub-oak, which he reached
barely in time to swing himself by a limb out of reach.
He worked his way through the thick branches, as high as
the tree would bear him, about fifteen feet, and through
the gloom could discern the bears snuffing at the base.
One of them was not long in attempting a closer acquaint-
ance, but on getting up half the distance to the hunter
found his way impeded by the thick limbs, and dropped
Digitized
by Google
PLANTIGRADES,
349
to the ground. Repeating his efforts, the hunter struck
a match and dropped it on bruin's head, which frighted
him back again. This trick was repeated at every fresh
attempt of the animal to climb the tree, and was every
time successful.
The animals ceased their efforts to climb, but remained
so long pacing and growling around, that Tyrell did not
dare to come down, but remained the entire night in his
perilous and uncomfortable position, battling with the
sleepy god. He says he would rather ride from Detroit
to Buffalo, astride the walking-beam of a steam-boat, than
do it again. When, stiff and sore, the next morning he
ventured down, the welcome sight met his eye, of a bear
lying dead, the blood on ground and leaves showing that
he had bled to death. His companion was not visible.
The hide was on exhibition for some time at the Central
Depot.
The Wolverene (Gulo luscus\ belonging to the family
Mustelidce, is now very rarely found. Michigan is about
its southern limit. As this almost extinct animal has
given to our State its slang name, some interest attaches
to it which it would not otherwise possess. From his
resemblance to the bear this animal has been placed by
some authorities among the Ursidce,
Having given some description of the wolverene in a
preceding letter, I will only now add that considering his
mischievous and destructive disposition, he looks quite
meek. The head is almost sheep-like. Are we to infer
that the people of the Wolverene State are very lamb-like
to outward appearance, but very dangerous to meddle
with?
In the same family we possess the Skunk, Mink, Mar-
ten, Fisher, and Weasel. I am not sure whether the
Digitized
by Google
350
WILD ANIMALS OF MICHIGAN,
American Sable {Mustela martes) exists within our bor-
ders, but it is presumable that it once did so, its habitat *
being the wooded districts of this zone. It is a beautiful
animal, and its extermination is due to the qualities of its
fur, which is very highly valued.
Of the family Lutidce, our northern waters still retain
that sagacious animal, the Otter {Lutra Canadensis). Its
fur, once valued next to that of the beaver, is now rare.
Some years ago Mr. L. B. Smith, of Detroit, purchased
in Gratiot Co. a tame otter, of which I copy the following
notice; *' He was captured by an Indian when only about
a week old, and has become as tame as a house-cat. He
is of dark brown color, two feet in length from his nose to
the tip of his tail, and lives principally on bread-and-milk
and fresh meat, but whenever opportunity is given will
catch fish, of which he is extremely fond. When sleep-
ing (which he does the greater portion of the day), he lies
curled up, with his tail between his fore paws and the ex-
treme end in his mouth. The odd little creature has
always exhibited a remarkable fondness for babies, and
whenever brought into the presence of one is restless "S^nd
intractable until permitted to fondle it, and no amount
of coaxing can induce him to quit its presence. When
grieved he sets up a shrill piping, not unlike that of a
young chicken, but when particularly delighted emits a
cachinatory sound, closely resembling the laugh of a hu
man being. He has been taught to follow his master,
and to perform several interesting tricks.*'
Of the Canidce, or Dog. family, are still found within
the State the Wolf, gray and white {Canis occidentalism
— though in greatly reduced numbers, — also the black
or dusky wolf, though the latter is very rare; we have
Digitized
by Google
.RAP A CIA.
351
also the common or Red Fox {Vulpes fulvus)^ and the
Silver-gray Fox, — a rare variety.
The Detroit papers in 1871 gave accounts of the ex-
ploits of three Detroit hunters in the woods of Northern
Michigan, bringing into town from Gladwin County
among their trophies seventy-five wolf skins. These they
captured by means of a wolf trap on a wholesale scale.
It consisted of a two-story cabin, in the lower story of
which, on two sides, were large doors, so constructed as
to be drawn up and let down at the will of those above.
For bait, old broken-down horses were used, as this kind
of varmint likes its prey living.
When several wolves were thus decoyed into the
house, the doors were let down and they were entrapped.
Then by taking up a board in the floor the hunters were
enabled to shoot the imprisoned animals. When this
trick failed, a horse was tied to a tree in the woods, where
the wolves, on coming to their prey, were exposed to their
ambushed enemies. Generally one horse stood for eight
wolves, before the poor beast finally gave up the ghost.
The Free Press of the previous year tells the story of a
Canadian family coming to this city from Ottawa, and
having in lieu of the family mastiff a large gray wolf.
He was only half civilized, and so cross as to call for fre-
quent beating from his owner. Whether or not this was
the best way to civilize him may be doubted.
Belonging to the idLmWy Felidce is the Panther {Feliscon-
color), under its various names of Cougar, American lion
and Catamount. It is common to the whole of North
America. In spite of its size, which exceeds that of
the largest dog, and its big appellations, it is not at all
a ferocious animal. The Lynx (i^ lyncus) is also a
timid animal.
Digitized
by Google
352
WILD ANIMALS OF MICHIGAN.
Not SO the Wild-cat {F. rufus), which is a hard and
bold fighter, and an annoying depredator.
I give, again from the Free Press of 1871, the following
account of a fight with wild-cats, which happened in
Wayne County :
George B. Morris had on exhibition (Aug. 31, 1 871) at
the Campus Martius the paws of two wild-cats, and
stated that he and two other farmers had a very exciting
time in making their capture.
For three or four months farmers living in Brownstown
and Huron townships had been very much annoyed by
the two animals, who inhabited a swamp, or at least
made it a place of refuge. The beasts had created consid-
erable havoc among young lambs and sheep, and had been
pursued many times by hunters, but always made their
escape into the swamp. One evening, while a farmer
named Mead was at the barn, one of the cats had the
audacity to enter a hen-coop, not twenty feet from the
door, and was not driven from her prey until Mead had
wounded her with a pitchfork. Securing Morris and
another neighbor, the three cleaned up their guns, and
determined to devote a day to hunting down the trouble-
some visitant. They were under the impression at the
time that it was a half-grown panther. Mead having
never seen a wild-cat. At daylight the men mounted
their horses, and rode to the swamp, having each a dog
along. For several hours they beat about the place,
without discovering any signs. At length one of the
dogs, which had been prospecting in the swamp, set up a
fearful yelling and howling, and came to the men with
his back well scratched up. The other dogs made for the
spot, and drove the cat out of the swamp, and up a tree,
where she was despatched by a rifle shot. The farmers
Digitized
by Google
RODENTS, ^5^
had no idea of the presence of another. They were
seated under a tree, enjoying a cold bite, when a male
cat, considerably larger than the one slain, came out of
the swamp, and attacked a dog, which was lapping water
at a small pond. In a second, hair was flying like thistle-
down in a gale, and the other dogs joined in. In two
minutes, and while the men were picking up their guns
and running to the spot, one of the dogs was disabled by
the cat, and the other two refused to close in again, run-
ning around in a circle. As the men came up the cat
leaped for Mead, fastening to his leg, and the sudden at-
tack threw him down. He tried to shoot but could not,
and for some time his friends found no safe opportunity.
At length one of them knocked the beast over with his gun
and then shot him through, as he was returning to the
attack. After receiving the shot he was still a match for
both dogs, until shot through the head. The brute which
attacked Mead tore his boot-leg into strips with his hind
claws, and he was so bitten and clawed about the legs as
to be unable to work for some time. It would have been
more than a match for him alone.
Of the Rodentia, many little animals of the squirrel
tribe — family Sciuridce — abound in Michigan. Among
the number are the Fox Squirrel {Sciurus cinerius), the
Gray — often nearly black — (5. migratorius), the Red or
Chickaree (S. Hudsonius), the Striped or Chipmuck
{Tamias striatus), the Flying Squirrel {Pteromys volucelld),
and the striped Gopher {Spermophilus tridecemlineatus),
I do not remember having seen the latter in this neigh-
borhood, but in great numbers on the prairies and open-
ings in the south and west parts of the State.
The little red squirrel has a wide range, and is a
migrant, sometimes marching in large bodies, and swim-
Digitized
by Google
354
IVILD ANIMALS OF MICHIGAN.
I
ming the streams. I remember hearing, many years ago,
of a large migrating band, which swam the Niagara, from
Canada into the State of New York, many perishing in
the transit. The object, of course, is larger supplies of
food, but the instinct is a curious one.
A gentleman told me he was once on Lake George, in
the State of New York, rowing alone in a boat, when he
espied a squirrel paddling his way towards shore. The
rower held out an oar, which the little fellow accepted,
ran up it and the arm which held it, and sat on his
shoulder. From this position he soon decamped to the
bow of the boat, where he remained some time. At
length, thinking himself sufficiently rested, he again took
to the water, but finding he had miscalculated his
strength, he a second time accepted the proffered aid,
and remained in the boat until it neared the land, when
he sprang ashore and made off.
In the family Arctomidce, the Woodchuck, Ground-hog,
or Marmot, as it is differently called, is the only burrow-
ing and hibernating animal which I recall. It was for-
merly numerous hereabouts.
In the family Garbilhdce^ we have the Deer-mouse,
{Mir one Americana) ; in the Castoridce, the Beaver {Cas-
tor Canadensis)^ of which I propose to give some ex-
tended notice, in a separate paper.
I will here mention that a gigantic fossil species of the
beaver, several times the size of C. Canadensis, has been
discovered in New York and Michigan, in lacustrine de-
posits.
To the family of the Hystricidce belongs the Porcu-
pine, an inoffensive creature, common in all the Northern
States, and very easily captured, as he makes no resist-
ance. I have killed one that appeared in my path by
Digitized
by Google
RODENTS,
355
striking him with my geological hammer. The spines
are much used by the northern Indians, for ornament-
ing a variety of articles manufactured by them, for which
purposes they stain them permanently with several bright
colors.
The family Muridce includes that pest, the Rat, several
species of which, including the large wharf or Norway
rat, were introduced into this country, that has opened so
wide its gates to all the world, good and bad.
The black rat I have never seen, and am not aware
that it is an inhabitant here. The common mouse (Mus
musculus) is also an immigrant, but there are several
others that are native, as the Jumping Mouse, the Beaver
Mouse, the small prairie, or oak-opening mouse {Hesper-
omys Michigantensis)y and two species of Arvicola, or
field mice.
To this family also belongs the Muskrat or Musquash
{Fiber zibethicus). This animal is still numerous in the
marshes of the Rouge and elsewhere, but much less so
than formerly. Its range is as wide as that of the beaver.
One other family only belonging to this order, viz.. La-
ponid<2y is known to me, but it is a very common one.
It includes the American Gray Rabbit {Lepus manus)^ also
the White Rabbit or Northern Hdire {L. Americantis), found
in the Northern States only. Though known in common
parlance as rabbits, these are truly hares, and differ es-
sentially from the European rabbit. The latter is a
gregarious animal, inhabiting warrens. Our hares do
not burrow, but hide under brush or long grass, where
they make what are called "forms.**
Before proceeding to a mention of our existing native
animals belonging to the order Ruminantia, or those
Digitized
by Google
356 WILD ANIMALS OF MICHIGAN.
possessing more than two hoofs, I will refer to the ex-
tinct animals, belonging to the Pachydermata.
The genus Elephas includes the fossil elephant {E.
primigenius), whose molars are found in the Salt Licks
of Kentucky ; none in this State that I know of. The
teeth and bones of a similar quadruped, the Mastodon
{E. maximus\ have been discovered in this State, both in
the eastern and western counties. Though fossil, it be-
longs to a recent geological period, — the drift, or glacial,
— and it was possibly contemporaneous with savage man.
Manufactured arrow-heads are said to have been found
beneath the skeleton of a mastodon, in Missouri. I
know of no complete skeleton in this State, that has been
preserved.
It is probable that the Bison or Buffalo was a former
inhabitant here. For it is matter of proof that they once
roamed as far as the Atlantic coast, south of the lakes.
None now exist east of the Mississippi, and, immense as
their numbers were but a few years ago on our west-
ern plains, so great and wanton is the destruction that
they are likely to suffer extinction, even within the life
of the present generation.
The family Cervidce includes the American deer, com-
mon from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, and from the
Atlantic to the Rocky Mountains. Yet it was not known
in our upper peninsula, on Lake Superior, as late as
1840, nor until driven northward by the persecution of
hunters.
The American elk {Cervus Canadensis), known also
as the Wapiti, was once very numerous in this State, but
is fast being killed, and is already very rare. It is a
noble animal, and quite easy of domestication, as the
incident alluded to in the foregoing letter is in proof.
Digitized
by Google
RUMINANTS,
357
It measures from seven to ten feet in length, and six feet
in height. According to Audubon, the American elk is a
foot higher in the shoulders than the European stag.
The antlers are wondrously large, each main branch
often three feet long. A specimen of the animal in the
museum of the Detroit Scientific Association is seven
feet in length, and the tail ridiculously small, only two
and one-half inches long. The antlers of this specimen
have a spread, from tip to tip, of four and one-half feet.
The color on the sides is a light gray, nearly white,
but on neck, belly and extremities a dark tawny red.
The tail of the deer is much larger, and is beneath of
a pure white, which is always exhibited when they are
on the run.
The fine elk above alluded to is the property of the
Audubon Club, of Detroit. It was presented to the
club by General Custer, who shot it on the Yellowstone
in 1873, and prepared the skin with his own hands.
In a letter to his wife, speaking of several heads of
antelopes and other wild animals which he had pre-
pared, the General says : " The ne plus ultra of all is
the * King of the Forest.' I have succeeded in preserving
him entire, — antlers, head, neck, body, legs and hoofs, —
in fine condition, so that he can be mounted, and look
exactly as in life. The scientists .informed me that there
were but few specimens on this continent of elk preserved
entire, and none so fine as mine. Had I saved the head
and neck only, it was intended for you ; but having it
complete alters my intention, as it would require a room
to contain it. So I have concluded, with your approval,
to present it to the Audubon Club, in Detroit."
Another singular animal belonging to this order,
and of the same genus with the deer, and a native of
Digitized
by Google
358 IVILD ANIMALS OF MICHIGAN.
this State, is now nearly if not quite exterminated — the
Moose {Alee Amerieanus). It is very wary, and is sel-
dom caught sight of except by professional hunters.
In size it exceeds the elk. The antlers are quite differ-
ent, being palmated. They spread four feet, and the
palm has been know to be thirty inches wide. The
tongue used to be considered as great a delicacy as
beaver's tail.
The Portage-Lake Gazette^ of April, 1869, contains an
item, headed, " Killing of the last Moose in Michigan,"
which I transfer in full.
"In the year 1847 there was a famous herd of wild
moose living in the woods around the head of L'Anse Bay,
but finally the herd were entrapped and all killed except
one old leader stag, who broke away. For a year or two
nothing was seen of him, but finally there came rumor
of a gigantic moose, roaming the woods around the head
of Torch Lake. This winter some Indians determined to
catch him, and finding his track, gave him several lively
chases, but until a week ago he always escaped. Then a
half-breed, Peter Marksman, got after him, and there being
a thick crust on the snow, the man could move about
easily, while the sharp hoofs of the veteran moose broke
through at every leap. Peter finally overtook him near
Calumet Mihe, and quickly closed his career with a rifle
ball. He skinned him, cut up the flesh, brought it to
town, and found a ready sale at fifty cents a pound, real-
izing over $300. The head was cut off and brought in.
It alone gives token of the monstrous size of the animal.
It measures 33 inches from tip of nose to crown of head,
between the antlers. The nose measured 28 inches
around. The nostrils, distended, each measured four
inches diameter, and a large hand could be pushed up
Digitized
by Google
ANIMALS FORMERLY ABUNDANT.
V
359
intp them over a foot ! The front of the under jaw has
eight large cutting teeth, which bit against a tough semi-
homy, pad in the upper jaw, which has no cutting teeth.
The head cut off entirely from the neck, and minus the
tongue, weighs 78 pounds. Unfortunately it was killed
at the season of the year when the head is shorn of its
greatest beauty — the enormous antlers. The new ones
were just rising, still encased in the skin, only making
protuberances of four or five inches.**
One other Ungulate — the Caribou of the early French
settlers — {Rangifer caribou) was at one time an inhtib-
itant of the northern portion of our State, but is now
quite extinguished within our limits. It still exists
north of Lake Superior.
In a paper read before the Detroit Pioneer Society,
in 1874, by J. S. Tibbets, on wild animals of Wayne
County, I find mentioned, as those mostly found here by
the early settlers, the deer, bear, wolf, lynx, wild-cat,
coon, badger, fisher, porcupine, woodchuck, rabbit,
mink and weasel. He says the skunk and rat did not
make their appearance in the rural districts for nearly ten
years after the first settlements were made ; wolves and
bears were very numerous, and destructive to the few
sheep and swine then in the country. He names as old
residents now exterminated the lynx, badger and por-
cupine.
Mr. Tibbets mentions several methods then in vogue
of trapping those destructive animals, wolves and bears.
They were caught in traps and in dead-falls. A large pen
was made with poles, and so constructed that it was nar-
rowed up at the top, leaving an opening only a few feet
square. This afforded an easy ingress for the hungry
wolf, but an effectual barrier to his getting out.
Digitized
by Google
36o
IVILD ANIMALS OF MICHIGAN.
A novel mode of trapping the bear proved quite suc-
cessful. A hollow tree was selected, into which a hole
was cut, some seven or eight feet from the ground, of a
triangular shape, with the acute angle on the lower side,
just large enough for bruin to squeeze his head through.
Inside of the tree, a little below the hole, a piece of meat
was suspended. Scenting the meat the bear would climb
the tree, and in his efforts to reach the bait would get
caught in the angle of the hole, from which it was impos-
sible to extricate himself.
Many interesting facts might be introduced regarding
the Trade in Furs of the animals of this country. But
in view of the fact that these have now to be sought at
a great distance, — the business of the trapper being at
this time far removed from this vicinity, — I forbear to ex-
tend these observations.
I cannot, however, omit to state that Detroit, from its
very first settlement, in 1701, has been one of the most
noted markets for the collecting and sale of furs in the
whole country. The Abbotts, Conants, Macks, Brew-
sters and Campaus, of half a century ago and more,
are still well represented by modern dealers. One firm
in especial — that of F. Buhl & Co. — has been doing
business here since 1835.
Notwithstanding the steady diminution of furred ani-
mals, the trade is still very large, and furs continue to
be exported from here to all the countries of Europe.
Digitized
by Google
THE BEAVER.
IT is many years since that extraordinary animal, the
beaver, disappeared from this State ; extraordinary
both in the constructive skill displayed by him, and in
the results of his labors.
The beaver may well be considered the cause of the
settlement of Canada. For among the fur-bearing ani-
mals which were the object of French enterprise in the
New World, the beaver was by far the chief. So large,
indeed, was the proportion, and so great the numbers,
that beaver-skins became the medium of exchange em-
ployed in the Indian traffic, the prices of goods being so
many beavers. It was, in Canada and the North-west,
the representative product, as in Virginia tobacco was the
currency of the country. The figure of the beaver con-
stituted the armorial bearing of Quebec, Montreal, and
other of the chief cities of Canadian trade, and it is still
prominent in the escutcheon of Canada. The seal of
New Netherlands, in the seventeenth century, bore the
figure of a beaver, as is the case yet with some of the
countries of Northern Europe.
The vast numbers of this animal and the ease with
which they were captured seem to us at this day incred-
ible.
Captain John Smith, who traded at the Isle of Shoals,
on the New England coast, in 1614, says: "Whilst the
sailors fished, myself, with eight others, ranged the coast
in a small boat. We got for trifles near 11,000 beaver
361
Digitized
by Google
362
THE BE A VER,
skins, 100 martens, and many others." Note the pre-
ponderance of beavers.
Vincent de St. Castin, who carried on an extensive
trade at Penobscot Bay, says that 80,000 livres could be
annually realized there out of the beaver trade.
Bryant, in his " History of the United States '* (Vol. I.),
says : ** The beaver was to the first people of Massachusetts
a better friend than the cod, though the cod hangs to
this day in the State House at Boston as the emblem of
its prosperity, while only here and there in the country
lingers some dim tradition of the beaver, where an em-
bankment across some secluded meadow suggests that a
dam may once have been there."
But for the avarice of the fur traders, the beaver might
still supply an article of export and of wealth to exten-
sive tracts of unimproved lands in Michigan. In this
neighborhood the traces of their former being are not
only exceedingly numerous, but have an intimate rela-
tion to the topography of the country.
The region between Lake Erie and Saginaw was one
of the great beaver trapping-grounds. The Huron, the
Chippewas, the Ottawas, and even the Iroquois, from
beyond Ontario, by turns sought this region in large
parties for the capture of this game, from the earliest
historic times. It is a region peculiarly adapted to the
wants of this animal. To a great extent level, it is in-
tersected by numerous water courses, which have but
moderate flow. At the head-waters and small inlets of
these streams the beaver established his colonies. Here
he dammed the streams, setting back the water over the
flat lands, and creating ponds, in which were his habita-
tions. Not one or two, but a series of such dams were
constructed along each stream, so that very extensive
Digitized
by Google
BEAVER-MADE COUNTRY,
363
surfaces became thus covered permanently with the
flood. The trees were killed, and the land converted
into a chain of ponds and marshes, with intervening dry
ridges. In time, by nature*s recuperative process — the
annual growth and decay of grasses and aquatic plants —
these filled with muck or peat, with occasional deposits
of bog lime, and the ponds and swales became dry again.
Illustrations of this beaver-made country are numerous
enough in our immediate vicinity. In a semi-circle of
twelve miles around Detroit, having the river for base,
and embracing about 100,000 acres, fully one-fifth part
consists of marshy tracts or praif ies, which had their ori-
'gin in the work of the beaver. A little further west,
nearly one whole township, in Wayne County, is of this
character.
The lands referable to this origin occupy not the low-
est, but elevated and slightly rolling tracts. Numerous
small streams have their sources in these prairies, or
meander through them. These, flowing with little de-
scent through the lower connecting levels, are ramified
in every direction, and form a network or connected
chain over the whole surface. Dry ridges intervene,
mostly sandy, and producing a scattered growth of
white and yellow oaks. The broader marshes, which
often extend several miles, are occasionally varied by
low islands, containing a heavy growth of timber.
These marshes have a soil of black muck and fibrous
peat, averaging two or three feet in depth, and often much
more. This is underlaid by clay, with a thin stratum of
sand or gravel usually intervening. Wild hay and cran-
berries on the open portions constitute a natural product
of considerable value ; other portions being covered with
tamarac trees.
Digitized
by Google
364
THE BE A VER,
The beaver-dams are still discernible. Their builders,
so the Indians say, disappeared from all this region about
the beginning of the present century.
Is there in nature another instance where the opera-
tions of a single animal have so changed the face of a
'country, over such extensive areas? For the region of
which I treat is but a sample of many others, stretching
through the border counties of Eastern Michigan, and
about the tributaries of the Saginaw.
But even this large district only feebly represents the
immense area on this continent whose character has been
entirely changed through the operations of the beaver.
A writer, speaking of the Hudson Bay Company's lands
in Canada, says : " Nearly every stream between the Pem-
bina and the Athabasca, with the single exception of
the McLeod, has been destroyed by beavers, and nothing
but vast pine swamps remain to mark their place."
Over all the southerly portion of this vast region the
mighty labors of this active animal are now relics of the
past. The beavers and Indian hunters and Canadian
trappers have alike disappeared. Other furs, or substi-
tutes for them, have superseded their value to the dealer,
and the skins are but rarely met with in this whole re-
gion, which once yielded little other marketable product.
While the beaver is responsible for the flooding of such
immense extent of lands once dry, the results are by no
means an unmixed evil. The great accumulation of
muck or peat may, with proper treatment, become the
richest of soils. As prairies of the character described
occupy summit levels, the practicability of drainage is
at once established. Even the cutting through of an
old dam — a day's work only, of one or two men — may be
effectual to drain of its surplus surface waters several
Digitized
by Google
THE BE A VER AS AN ENGINEER, 365
miles of country, and if this be followed up by ditches of
sufficient depth and number to drain and dry the spongy
peat, the wet prairie lands will, in time, become thoroughly
tillable. Were as much attention paid to the proper
methods of reclaiming these lands as is given to the im-
provement of other and dryer lands, these now unattrac-
tive regions would in time become the garden portions
of our State.
The beaver is an eminently social creature. Its chief
purpose in the building of its dams seems to be the crea-
tion of ponds suitable for its habitations. Usually
twenty or thirty houses are assigned to a pond, one or
two families occupying each, and they live in clans or
societies.
It is probable that these ponds may also supply certain
aquatic plants, specially liked as food, and they assist to
float to their proper depositories the bark and branches
of trees needed for the winter supplies.
As a builder and engineer the beaver exhibits a won-
derful intelligence. Its dams are constructed of trees
and sticks of timber, arranged with exact reference to
peculiarities of situation and current, and filled in with
stones and mud. They are often 100 feet and more
long, and 10 feet thick at base, and become very solid and
firm. I have seen along a stream stumps of trees that
had been felled, as thick as a man's body.
This dam maintains the water at the level required for
the houses, which are built one-third below the surface,
dome-shaped, and with entrances both above and below
the water. These houses are very strongly constructed
of sticks and mud, several feet in thickness, and are
plastered within and without with clay or mud, and they
have within several stories. They are so strong as to be
Digitized
by Google
366 ^-^^ ^^A ^^R'
absolutely secure against the elements and all enemies, ex-
cept man, whose ingenuity and cunning in ways of de-
struction alone exceed the sagacity of these poor animals
in the defence of their possessions and lives.
The fondness of the beaver for the water is such as
almost to constitute that its native element. In fact, its
peculiar structure, its flat, scaly, fish-like tail, seems to ex-
hibit it as a connecting link between the terrestrial and
the aquatic.
Charlevoix says he found the beaver very good eating,
and he adds, naively enough, " Besides, in respect of its
tail, it is altogether a fish, having been judicially declared
such by the faculty of medicine of Paris, in conse-
quence of which declaration the faculty of theology have
decided that it might be lawfully eaten on meagre
days!"
The traveller, Henry, says the Indians considered
beavers to have been " formerly a people endowed with
speech, not less than with the noble faculties they possess.
But the Great Spirit has taken this away from them,
lest they should grow superior in understanding to man-
kind.'*
Indeed, the intelligence shown by this animal in the
construction of its dams and houses is so striking that
we are amply justified in attributing their acts fully as
much to reason as to mere instinct. They know how to
fell a tree in the proper direction, as readily as the most
expert axeman. And they apparently consult together
over the best mode of engineering their works. A dis-
tinguished engineer — Willard S. Pope — who saw these
creatures at work in our Northern peninsula, relates that
on one occasion, when in his engineering operations it i
became desirable to drain off the water from a beaver
Digitized
by Google
HIS SOCIAL QUALITIES. 367
pond. Workmen were directed to cut a channel through
the dam, which they did, lowering the water, to the
great dissatisfaction of its owners, for, rising early the next
morning, my narrator discovered an old beaver examin-
ing the place very carefully, where he was soon joined
by others. The result of their consultation was favorable
to the immediate restoration of the dam. This was ac-
complished, solidly and completely, the very next night,
under the advice, no doubt, of their most experienced
engineer.
The range of the beaver in North America is very
wide, being as far north as 600 of latitude, or more, and
as far south as 300, though in greatly diminishing num-
bers. It is also an inhabitant of the whole of Europe
and of Northern Asia.
The weight of our beaver is about 50 or 60 pounds.
It differs from that of Europe, which is a burrowing
animal, and not so distinguished for intelligence.
It is sad to reflect upon the breaking up of these so-
ciable communities, once so numerous and happy. Our
sympathies are aroused for the red man, when driven
from his hunting-grounds ; but the beavers were a settled
race, owning the lands which they occupied, in a far more
comprehensive sense than the roving Indian.
To the honor of the latter, their trappers never volun-
tarily destroyed whole settlements of beavers, but were
at pains to preserve the colony, hunting them only every
second year. But the emissaries of the fur-traders killed
all they could find, leaving only a few chance survivors,
to become solitary and miserable wanderers, where once
their lives had been spent in social happiness. It is a
relief to know that in most parts of the country their ex-
tinction has been so complete.
Digitized b/
Google
1
Digitized
by Google
TREES.— THEIR RELATIONS TO US,
ECONOMIC AND SCIENTIFIC.
Digitized
by Google
1
** Sent arbores, quae alter! seculo prosint.'*
Cicero.
Digitized by CjOOQIC \
TREES —THEIR RELATIONS TO US,
ECONOMIC AND SCIENTIFIC*
IN no one phenomenon has the century which rounds
our national life been so marked, as in the attitude
of our country towards its woodlands.
Over the whole central portion of the United States,
a century ago, spread an unbroken forest, embracing a
magnificent flora of deciduous trees, unsurpassed for size
and variety by that of any territory of equal extent on
the globe.
Southerly from this central region the deciduous trees
mingled with and gave place to evergreens, live-oaks
and pitch-pines.
Northerly this great forest region embraced, together
with its deciduous trees, the stately white pine, and
other coniferae, as far as our northern boundary.
Along the Pacific slope a dense forest occupied Wash-
ington Territory, Oregon and California, consisting
mostly of conifers.
Between these two regions stretched, with few excep-
tions, an almost treeless region, embracing nearly one-
half the whole territory of the United States.
Nowhere in the Old World, from which had come the
energetic races that were so soon to overrun these virgin
forests, could the eye of man witness such a marvellous
variety and immense growth of timber as shut in on the
♦ A lecture before the Detroit Scientific Association, 1877,
371
Digitized
by Google
372 TREES,— THEIR RELATIONS TO US,
west the still struggling, but independent thirteen col-
onies. The large number of species, many of which were
new to the botanist, the great size and height of many,
and their dense growth, gave to the forests of the New
World a solemn and majestic character which was the
admiration and wonder of the Old World foresters.
According to the enumeration of its botanists. Great
Britain contains 29 species of indigenous trees of 30 feet
height and upwards; of which only 15 are classed as
'* large."
In France, authorities name 30 to 34 species. And
Central Europe, from the Adriatic to the Baltic, and
from France to Russia, contains about 60 species only.
Compare this meagre catalogue with that of America.
Gray enumerates in the states east of the Mississippi,
and north of the Carolinas, 132 indigenous species which
attain 30 feet in height.
New England has 80 to 85 species, of which about 60
reach a height of 50 feet.
The Middle States have over 100 species, of which
about 60 reach 50 feet.
The North-west — Ohio to Minnesota — has about no
species : of these 70 attain a height of 50 feet.
The South-east — from Virginia to Florida — is richest
in species, having upwards of 150; 75 of which attain a
height of 50 feet, or more.
On the authority of Prof. Brewer, the whole number
of species of our native trees that attain to 30 feet and
upwards in height is stated at above 300, or five times
that of Europe ; of these about 120 reach 50 feet.
• So different an idea from that which we are accus-
tomed to is current on the other side of the ocean, of
what constitutes a *' forest," that its expression may
I
Digitized
by Google
OUR FORESTS A CENTURY AGO.
373
well cause a smile on the face of an American woods-
man. This idea is well illustrated by Frank Buckland,
in his ** Log-book/* in England.
"At one place the tourist asked, * What do they call
yon hills ? *
" * Eh, but that*s just a deer forest,' says the coachman.
" ' Deer-forest,' said the tourist, * but I see no trees.*
" * Trees,' said coachee, * but, man, who ever heard of
trees in a forest.' "
In this country that man would have been unable to
see the forest, for the trees.
Yet to its first possessors, all this boundless natural
wealth was thrown away. Everywhere the grand aim
of the early settler was to get rid of the encumbrance.
He must hew a way to his inheritance by bold strokes of
the axe. The whole life of the hardy pioneer was a
constant battle with these Titans of nature. To let in
the sun upon his patch of culture was his first care, for
upon the extent to which this was redeemed from the
woodland depended the welfare of his family, and his
prospects of future wealth.
Such sentiments as our great novelist puts so often
into the mouth of Judge Temple, in condemnation of
the general destruction of the forests, are indeed noble
and prophetic, but it was well that they prevailed so lit-
tle. Else agriculture would not so speedily have usurped
the wilderness, bringing a thriving population and national
prosperity.
But the century which has witnessed such a wonderful
national progress did not pass without a change in the
relationship of man to the trees.
The indiscriminate destruction of timber, without re-
Digitized
by Google
374 TREES,— THEIR RELATIONS TO US,
gard to the future, began at last to be felt, not only in
increasing scarcity of supply, but in diminished value of
the lands, and other attendant evils.
So great and indiscriminate has been this destruction,
that already cause for a wide-spread alarm exists, lest
our country be speedily reduced to the condition of
many countries of the Eastern hemisphere. In many of
the older states, where the supply at one time seemed
exhaustless, there is now almost destitution of timber for
the commonest needs. The destruction has amounted
to absolute waste, and it has been going on in an in-
creased ratio with the population.
When we look at the causes of this rapid diminution, it
ceases to be a wonder. Let us examine these briefly.
With the enormous increase in the extent of cultiva-
tion has been coincident one of the earliest and largest
demands upon our forests, viz., iox fencing nxdX^xvdX.
Estimates differ as to the amount of wood consumed
in fences, but all are large almost beyond belief of any
one who has not well considered the subject. General
Brisbin, an intelligent army officer, asserts,* " that the
fences of the United States have cost more than the
land, and are to-day the most valuable class of property
in the country, except railroads and real estate in cities."
Our fences are now valued at $1,800,000,000 and have
required the clearing probably of 25,000,000 acres. To
keep these in repair costs annually $100,000,000.
The timber which goes into railroad ties is .also enor-
mous. According to the same writer "the 71,000 miles
of railroad in the United States have required in build-
ing 184,000,000 ties, and these have to be replaced every
* In an able letter to the New York Worldy 1875.
Digitized
by Google
DESTRUCTION OF OUR FORESTS.
375
seven years." This annual supply is equivalent to not
less than 2,ocx),ooo cords of standing timber ; so that,
assuming the average yield per acre to be 50 cords, rail-
road ties destroy annually 40,000 acres of woodland.
The annual consumption of wood for fuel may be esti-
mated at over 50,000,000 cords, causing a clearing of
600,000 acres. It took 10,000 acres of forest, in 1871, to
supply Chicago with fuel for a single year. To this we
must add the supply annually required for furnaces and
manufactures of all kinds, which call for many thousand
acres more.
The felling of forest in the process of bringing new land
under cultivation is still going on, at a rate almost be-
yond computation. From i860 to 1870 it is supposed
that no less than 12,000,000 acres were thus destroyed,
or 1,200,000 annually.
When we consider the great lumber interests of our
country, the rate at which our woods are being felled, to
supply the demand for pine and other timber used in the
arts, almost staggers belief. ^
Michigan takes the lead of all the States. Her annual
cut for the last ten years, as shown by reliable statistics,
has been not far from, 2,500,000,000 feet, board measure ;
equivalent to the removal of 33,000 acres of forest. With
even no greater ratio of increase in the future, the next
cycle of ten years will find little white pine timber left in
this State.
Pennsylvania, New York and Wisconsin follow not far
behind, and, taking into account the whole country, it is
safe to set down the total annual consumption of manu-
factured lumber at not far below 20,000,000,000 feet ; rep-
resenting an annual clearing of 325,000 acres, or over 500
square miles.
Digitized
by Google
^y6 TREES.^THEIR RELATIONS TO US,
The Canadian Lumberman gives some further items,
showing where the wood goes.
" To make shoe pegs enough for American use con-
sumes annually ic»,ooo cords of timber. Lasts and boot-
trees take 500,000 cords of birch, beech and maple, and
the handles of tools 500,000 more. To make our lucifer
matches 300,000 cubic feet of the best pine are required
every year. The baking of our bricks consumes 2,000,000
cords of wood, or what would cover with forest 55,000
acres of land. Telegraph poles represent 800,000 trees,
and their annual repair about 300,000 more. Packing
boxes cost, in 1874, $12,000,000, while the timber used
each year in making wagons and agricultural imple-
ments is valued at more than $100,000,000."
To all these recurring causes of the destruction of our
forests we must addy?r^^, the ravages of insects, and other
natural agencies; causes which are rapidly on the in-
crease. The destruction by forest fires seems likely soon
to equal all other causes, in our characteristic neglect
of the proper remedies.
The total annual consumption of our forests from all
these causes combined has been variously estimated at
from 4,000,000 to 8,000,000 acres. Assuming the lowest es-
timate to be nearest the truth, and the annual increase to
be ten per cent, only, it will require less than half another "
century to leave us treeless, unless planting on a large
scale be resorted to. Wonderful progress indeed, but
attended by what waste of this great natural store-house
of wealth, and with how little prevision of the future !
I need not dwell upon the economical importance of
this subject. When we consider how largely the wealth
of the country consists in its woods, and how vastly the
price of lumber of all kinds will be enhanced, so soon as
Digitized
by Google
RELATION OF TREES TO CLIMATE.
377
we are reduced to grow our own forests, the results seem
overwhelming.
i» »
There is another aspect of this subject which still more
deeply concerns the national welfare, viz., the relationship
of trees to climate.
There is not entire agreement among practical scien-
tists, as to the effect of the removal of the forests upon
the climate, and especially upon the rainfall. Without
going into any discussion, I think the following propo-
sitions are well established, and of vital importance:
1st. That the temperature is hotter in summer and
colder in winter, than when the country was covered
with forest. This is a natural result of exposure of the
soil to more active radiation, and consequent frost.
2d. The winds have a more uninterrupted sweep, and
so the country is both dried up and refrigerated.
Scarcely any influence is so deleterious to plant life as
exposure to our severe westerly winds.
3d. The rainfall is either less in amount, or it is less
equally distributed through the seasons, and its advantages
to the soil and to plants are to a great degree lost.
It may be admitted that data are yet insufficient to de-
termine the question, whether the removal of forest di-
minishes the actual amount of rainfall. The weight of
testimony and philosophy tend to the latter conclusion.
At least certain principles may be accepted as in har-
mony with the above propositions.
Trees are remarkable condensers of humidity, as may
be seen from the drops which they precipitate during a
fog, sometimes even producing rills of water. From this
cause, and the shade which they afford to the ground, a
Digitized
by Google
378 TREES,— THEIR RELATIONS TO US,
more uniform degree of moisture is preserved in the at-
mosphere about them than in cleared lands.
Now, vapor pervading the atmosphere has a remarkable
efficiency in preventing radiation of heat from the soil.
Wherever the air is dry the thermometric range will be
great. Tyndall says, " The removal for a single winter's
night of the aqueous vapor from the atmosphere which
covers England would be attended by the destruction of
every plant which a freezing temperature could kill."
Observations made in Bavaria showed, that for the
month of July the temperature at midday within the
forest is 8 ® below that of the unwooded land, but at
night it is 4.39^ higher. During the night, the colder and .
denser air of the unwooded land passes into the forest,
rises and is cooled, and during the day the contrary
occurs. Thus a circulation is established which regulates
the temperature.
By keeping up a cooler atmosphere over them than in
the open ground, trees maintain the condition under
which rain is precipitated by condensation. In open
spaces the warmer ascending air tends to disperse the
vapors which collect and are utilized by our woods and
forest-covered hills. In this way the latter doubtless pro-
mote the frequency of showers, if they do not augment
the total amount.
Finally, the presence of forest serves to retain the
moisture that falls, as well as to diminish the evaporation
from the soil. Thus the rains are allowed to soak into
the soil, or to pass away gradually ; which, falling upon
open ground, are rapidly drained off into the dry water-
courses, and occasion disastrous floods.
These propositions are so fully sustained by facts, all
Digitized
I by Google
RESUL TS OF FOREST REMO VAL. 37^
over the world, and these have been so repeatedly
brought to our notice, that I feel disposed to pass by
any details. Yet I cannot forbear to fortify my position
by referring to a few.
No one whose observations cover a quarter of a cent-
ury can be unfamiliar with the fact, so frequently no-
ticed, that the streams with which he was familiar in his
boyhood have shrunken or dried up. Wherever the
woods are cleared away to any considerable extent this
effect invariably follows. Springs fail, water-courses be-
come dry, or yield only a precarious and scanty supply
compared with their former copiousness.
How different the aspect now of all the settled por-
tions of our land from what it appeared to the eyes and
was described in the relations of the earliest travellers.
" Before these fields were shorn and tilled
Full to the brim our rivers flowed ;
The melody of waters filled
The fresh and boundless wood ;
And torrents dashed, and rivulets played.
And fountains spouted in the shade."
In the desiccated county we now inhabit, how unreal
seem these lines of our great poet, whose fourscore years
have made him a faithful witness of the scenes he so
graphically depicts ? *
Droughts have become of frequent occurrence where
they were seldom known while the greater portion of the
country was covered with wood. They are now the rule
in summer and autumn, rather than the exception.
These are facts familiar to most of us. Our pastures dry
up and are of little service for several weeks during
the year. The more tender fruits, such as the peach,
* Bryant : died May, 1878.
Digitized
by Google
380 TREES,— THEIR RELATIONS TO US.
cannot be successfully grown where they bore abundant
crops some years ago. The grape mildews, or fails to
ripen. Many of our most hardy trees and shrubs are
killed, by the depth to which frost penetrates the soil.
Wheat and other crops suffer from the same causes.
Should this state of things continue, and increase in
the ratio of the past, another half-century will witness
our land as unfruitful and barren as are those deserts of
the Orient, now almost uninhabitable, which were once
the homes of millions and the cradle of the human fam-
ily.
The experience of the Old World should be a lesson to
us. Says a writer in Appletons Journal (A. B. Guern-
«ey), " Palestine, when the Hebrews took possession of
it, was a land of rivulets and fountains. In its palmy days
the territory — not so large as Massachusetts — ^supported
in plenty a population of at least five millions, where
now not more than 250,000 find a scanty subsistence.
Under the Roman rule it was still densely populated.
But during the wars which followed the revolt under
Vespasian and Titus, the Romans systematically cut
down not merely the fruit trees, but the forests, and in the
course of a few generations the greater part of the coun-
try was reduced to the almost waterless desert it now is.
The channels of the rivulets still remain, but they are dry
ravines, except directly after a rain, when they become
roaring torrents ; the only exception being those streams
whose sources lie high up among the wooded heights of.
Lebanon."
" Greece tells the same story. In a large part of it the
forests which once clothed the hill sides have long been
destroyed ; the famous fountains of antiquity now flow
Digitized
by Google
OLD-WORLD EXPERIENCES.
381
only in song, and rivers of historical renown are now but
scanty brooks, which a child may ford."
"The African shores of the Mediterranean, long the
granary of the Roman Empire, have from the same
cause become not merely uninhabited, but practically
uninhabitable, by any except* nomads, wandering from
one scanty fountain to another/*
If the present physical condition of those classic lands
belies the glowing descriptions of their fertility given by
ancient geographers, what facts are within our more
modern experience ?
A recent traveller says (N. Y. Herald oi Nov., 1872) : " In
Italy the modern clearing of the Apennines is universally
believed to have altered the climate of the rich Po valley,
where now the sirocco, unknown to the armies of an-
cient Rome, breathes its deadly breath of flame over
that classic stream, in the territory of Parma.**
The results of the clearing of the forests from the spurs
and valleys of the Pyrenees, in Southern France, came to
our ears last year, in reports of sudden and terrible in-
undations, which devastated whole provinces, sweeping
many families, and indeed whole districts, with their
herds, to destruction. The dry beds of ravines, that for-
merly were regular streams, became suddenly filled by
rains of unusual copiousness, which rushed in headlong
torrents towards the sea.
In Southern Russia, the winters are becoming colder
every year, and the summers hotter, more dry and less
fruitful, owing, as is clearly proved, to the destruction of
the woods which formerly abounded. From the same
cause streams are everywhere shallowing, not in Russia
alone, but over Europe, so that many once navigable are
no longer so.
Digitized
by Google
382 TREES.^THEIR RELATIONS TO US.
Coming nearer home, we have similar reports from
many islands of the West Indies. In the annual Record
of Science and Industry^ for 1874, Mr. Frederick Hub-
bard says, " Santa Cruz changed from fertility to barren-
ness by the diminution of the rainfall, owing to the
removal of the forests. Streams, fail, springs dry up,
and cultivation has become impossible without constant
irrigation.
** In the neighboring island of Porto Rico, which is
not so mountainous, the rain is abundant.
" The rainy seasons are a succession of sudden showers
with hot sun at intervals. The opening of the foil to
the vertical rays causes its rapid drying, and prevents the
rain from sinking to the roots of plants.
"The small island of Curagoa, in 1845, was almost a
perfect desert, while, according to history, it had been a
garden of fertility. The cause was the cutting down of
the trees for export of timber. Almost within sight is
the Spanish Main, covered with the rankest vegetation,
over which the burdened clouds shower down abundant
rain, while at Cura§oa fresh water is among the luxu-
ries."
Another result of deforesting — as yet but little ex-
perienced in this country — is felt to baneful extent in
those lands whose hills have long been stripped of their
protective woods. I allude to the washing away and
loss of fertile soil, in consequence of the absence of
trees.
Sicily was once the garden of the Mediterranean, and
its valleys are still fertile, but its hills, which were once
so, are not only treeless, but so bare of soil as to render
any attempt to renew their former condition almost
hopeless. During my visit to the island, in the spring,
I
Digitized
by Google
EXPERIENCE IN THE NEW WORLD.
383
after a year's drought, a violent rain-storm had converted
the rills which descended from the slopes into the valleys
into torrents. These carried with them all the loose
materials into the larger streams, by which they were
swept into the sea. As our train approached the coast,
we found all the streams swollen, and the gullies so filled
with the sudden flood, as to impede and endanger our
progress. Looking towards the sea, far as the eye could
reach, the waters were turbid with the spoils of the land.
It seemed to my eyes that hundreds of acres of fertile
soil had been carried off and lost by that single day's
rain. How immense and irreparable the destruction
resulting from the devastations of all the years that have
passed since the hills were denuded of their forests !
If similar experiences in our own country have been
less felt it is because the evil has not yet been so ex-
tended. But that like effects have followed like causes
is notorious, as our agricultural interest universally has
known, to its cost.
So widely felt are these evils, that legislatures, both
national and state, have already been called upon to
establish measures for the preservation of valuable tim-
ber, the restraining of waste, and for granting bounties
upon the planting of trees.
It is a curious fact, which the contrasts of time set be-
fore our eyes in a new historic importance, that in our
early colonial history, among the restrictions placed by
the home government upon the industry of the colon-
ists, none was considered more burdensome than that
upon the cutting of timber. It was prominent among
the causes of discontent which led to the American Rev-
olution.
Sabine, in his " Loyalists of the Revolution,** notices
Digitized
by Google
384 TREES,— THEIR RELATIONS TO US,
among the restrictions upon lumbering in Maine, one
which provided that all pine trees of the diameter of
twenty-four inches, on lands not granted to private per-
sons, should be reserved for masts for the royal navy,
and that for the cutting down any such tree, without
special leave, the offender should forfeit ;f 100 sterling.
As we in Michigan look back to the times when the
most valuable pine trees which graced the vacant United
States lands were ruthlessly plundered, to no better
result than the educating of communities of thieves, we
may well wish that our Republican Government had
displayed somewhat of the foresight and temper of the
British king. In the light of our experience since we
became a nation, how strange it appears, that a restric-
tion upon the plundering propensities of the lumbermen
of New England should be reckoned among the causes
which led the way to our national independence !
Nevertheless the necessity was felt, even so early, of
putting a stop to needless waste. We read that " att a
meeting held this 29th day of April 1699, in Breuchlyn/*
Benjamin Vande Water, Joris Hanson and Jan Dorlant
were chosen officers, to consider the " great inconven-
ience & lose** that the inhabitants suffered, because
that unauthorized tradesmen " doe ffall & cutt the
best trees and sully the best woods."
In some of the colonial grants of New York, more
than 150 years ago, we find excellent provisions relating
to precautions against fires in the woods.*
Congress also, at various times, from 1777 to 1827,
passed acts looking to the preservation of timber for na-
val purposes, and to prevent poaching.
* Report of Commissioners on th? Public Lands, to Confess, 1874.
Digitized
by Google
HOME EFFORTS A T FOREST ECONOMY, 385
Shall the sons be less wise than their sires ? Though
in many of the material resources and growth of the na-
tional life the infant of the past has become the strong
man of to-day, yet as regards the reckless waste of this
source of power we are still very far behind. A London
writer, commenting upon the tremendous ravages of the
settler's axe in America, compares the wholesale strip-
ping of the Republic's soil of its timber to Delilah's
robbing Samson of the secret of his strength.
In all the chief governments of Europe elaborate sys-
tems of forestry have long been established, to the end
that the timber shall be saved from all unnecessary de-
struction, that it shall be allowed to grow in situations
where experience has proved its importance in the amel-
ioration of climate, and to ensure the planting of new
forests.
In this country we have but recently awakened to the
importance of considerations of this kind.
The American Association for the advancement of sci-
ence, at its meeting of 1873, appointed a committee to
memorialize Congress and the several State Legislatures
" on the importance of promoting the cultivation of tim-
ber, and the preservation of forests, and to recommend
such legislation as may be deemed proper for securing
these objects." This resulted in the recommendation by
the committee on the public lands, for the appointing of
a " commission for inquiring into the destruction of for-
ests, and the measures necessary for the preservation of
timber."
Congress the same year passed an act " to encourage
the growth of timber on the Western prairies." It
granted for every acre planted out in trees, not more
Digitized by CjOOQIC
386 TREESf-THEIR RELATIONS TO US.
than twelve feet apart, a patent for sixteen acres. Under
this liberal provision no less than 20,000,000 trees have
been already planted on the hitherto treeless regions of
Minnesota.
The subject was brought before our own State "Legisla-
ture by a memorial from the State Board of Agriculture,
referred to a special committee and reported upon by
them, January, 1867.
This report, written by Prof. Kedzie, presented the
facts of the injury to the agricultural, manufacturing and
commercial interests of the State, resulting from the
reckless and violent disturbance of her forest economy,
in an impressive manner. Several remedies were sug-
gested.
Among these was a proposition to exempt belts of
timber of moderate width, running north and south,
from all taxation.
Another forcible suggestion is to compel the fencing in
of stock, by prohibiting their running at large, and thus
make an immense saving by dispensing with the general
fencing of farms.
A third measure is to encourage the planting of trees
along the highways, by remitting to persons so planting
part of their highway taxes.
Great difficulties surround this subject of legislative
remedies, owing partly to a natural jealousy of any re-
striction upon liberty of action, in matters conceived to
belong to the private judgment of the individual, and
still more to the prevailing ignorance as to the proper
method of planting and the care of trees.
In the States of Europe, and especially in Germany,
forestry is a science, and there are schools for teaching it,
and for educating young men to become capabl e mem-
Digitized
byGoo4le
FORESTJi Y LEGISLA TION, 387
bers of a forest staff. Not alone are taught the practical
branches, such as the best methods of planting, cutting,
preservation against fire, etc., but also the diseases to
which trees are subject, and their insect foes, and the
remedies. All the minutiae there practised may not be
possible under our government, nor necessary for years
to come, but certainly some system, more effectual than
any yet adopted, is needed, and cannot be too soon
applied.
Some permanent good might be accomplished by the
appointment by the general government, and in each
State, of a commissioner of forestry, with such powers
and duties as our peculiar circumstances require. Under
his direction commissioners of highways — who should
be men of science and experience — may be employed to
plant trees along the roads, taxing the expense upon the
lands. Under such oversight the work would be done
far more cheaply and well than is possible if left, as now,
to individual caprice. Proper science would be exer-
cised as to kind and number of trees, method of planting,
distance apart, uniformity, etc., where now all is hap-haz-
ard. In time our public roads would become embowered
avenues, grateful alike to man and beast, belts of
shelter to the enclosed lands from the blasting winds, as
well as drifting snow and sands, and promoters of all
kindly atmospheric influences.
The reckless slashing of timber as now practised, and
which is the prime cause of our terrible forest fires,
should be prevented by stringent laws and a watchful
guardianship.
Another most serviceable State law would be one ab-
solutely prohibiting the running at large of cattle and
swine. As the only object of fences is to restrain cattle,
Digitized
by Google
388 TREES.-'THEIR RELATIONS TO US.
what an enormous saving would be accomplished were
fences to be universally dispensed with. It would equal
annually the interest on the national debt, and would
far exceed the cash value of all the horses and stock in the
country. All this might be effected by the simple proc-
ess of shutting in stock, instead of shutting them out !
In Europe there are no cattle at large, and no fences.
The custom is purely American, and its cost is only
equalled by its folly.
In the once forest-covered regions of America, where
the aim has so long been how soonest to get rid of the
timber, men have hardly yet schooled their ideas up to
the point of reversing their operations, and planting out
new woodlands to take place of the old. But in the
sparsely timbered and prairie portions, the planting of
trees for timber, as well as for shelter, has for quite a
number of years commanded the attention of land-
owners and legislatures. Planting is now going on, on
a large scale, in Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, and other
of our Western States. These efforts, if continued with
the zeal which now animates the people of those hitherto
almost shelterless districts, bid far to soon reverse the
old order of things, and transfer the forest region to the
other side of the Mississippi.
I almost venture the prediction, that in another quar-
ter of a century, the once densely wooded Eastern lands
will be the treeless region, while the open and arid
Western plains will be clothed with verdant forests, and,
through their agency, be refreshed with more frequent
showers, defended from^the blighting winds, and blos-
som with unwonted fertility.
Digitized by
Google
TREES, IN THEIR SOCIAL RELA-
TIONS.
Digitized
by Google
•* O, hath the Dryad still a tongue
In this ungenial clime ?
Have sylvan spirits still a voice
As in the classic prime^
To make the forest voluble,
As in the olden time ? "
Hood.
Digitized
by Google
TREES, IN THEIR SOCIAL RELATIONS.
BEYOND the quality of utility, in its restricted
sense, there is another view of our subject which
I love to contemplate, and to which I ask your indul-
gent attention, namely, its aesthetic or social aspect.
To my mind, none of the pfoductions of nature, next
to a beautiful woman, equals in grace a well-developed
tree. But to be thus developed, a tree, like the human
form, must have full measure of light and liberty. It is
not under the constraints of fashion that woman's form
divine assumes its highest attractiveness ; nor is it in
the thick forest, which so thwarts the struggle for indi-
vidual expansion, that we find in a tree its full e>tpres-
sion of beauty. Its life must have a more free exist-
ence, a more liberal supply of the blessed sunshine and
the fresh winds. It must have leave to strike its roots
deeply and widely, and to spread abroad its branches as
its nature prompts.
Of the natural forms even of our commonest trees, as
well as of their amazing beauty and variety of feature,
most people have little notion, who see them only as the
artificially trained ornaments of the streets, or the
crowded denizens of the woods.
Would many believe that the elm, that stately tree
whose lofty head arches so high above its neighbors of
the forest, inclines by the instinct of nature to rest its
drooping limbs on its mother's bosom ?
How many woodsmen recognize in the tulip-tree of
391
Digitized
by Google
y
■552 TREES, IN THEIR SOCIAL RELA TION^.
the lawn (Liriodendron tulipiferd)^ with its wide-spread
limbs, hidden by a drapery of leaves, and glowing with
a profusion of magnolia-like blossoms, the tall white-wood
of the forest, whose foliage and bloom are alike far
beyond his vision ? which
** high up,
Opens in airs of June her multitude
Of golden chalices to humming birds,
And silken-winged insects of the sky.''
Bryant.
The like tendency is true of the hickory, the maple,
the linden, the sycamore, even the oak ; trees more famil-
iar to our eyes in the forms which art and constraint
have given, than in their native characters.
Yet each species has its characteristic habit, so that
their diversities and peculiarities are to the lover of
nature a perpetual and delightful study. For this pur-
pose the bleak season of winter, which has stripped off
Digitized
by Google
AS INDIVIDUALS^WHITEWOOD. ^g^
Digitized
by Google
394 TUBES, IN THE Ik SOCIAL RELATIONS.
the summer*s drapery, offers peculiar advantages ; as in
Grecian art we are most delighted with the representa-
tion of the human form in its naked grace, strength and
beauty of proportion.
** With more than summer beauty fair,
The trees in winter garb are shown ;
What a rich halo melts in air,
Around the crystal branches thrown.*'
Andrew Norton.
on
Let us direct our attention to the specific characters in
a few of our common trees.
The Maples {Acer), in their several varieties, are per-
haps the most acknowledged favorites of all the inhab-
itants of our forests. They are indeed among the finest
of our round-headed trees, expressive of grace, rather
than strength. Their limbs, left to their own free voli-
tion, are very evenly disposed and low growing. Beautiful
in their clean-cut tracery against a winter sky, as in the
Digitized
by Google
MAPLE,-ASH, 3g5
delicate tints of spring, the dense drapery of summer,
or the glowing hues of autumn.
The Ash (Fraxinus Americanus), is another round-
headed tree of whose beauty our woods give little idea.
It rivals the tulip tree in size, but its light-green, loosely-
pinnated foliage is in strong contrast. It has a very com-
pact head, and an air of easy but somewhat formal neg-
ligence.
^s7l . J^xtnus,
Another of our common trees, which in regularity of
form nearly equals the maple, and surpasses it in the rich
verdure of its large, heart-shaped leaves, is the Linden,
Lime or Bass-wood {Tilia). It is comparatively in little
esteem, but is deserving of greater popular favor. When
permitted, its lower limbs sweep to the earth. Blossom-
ing in mid-summer, at a time when most of our trees
have passed the season of bloom, it fills the air with fra-
grance. To the bees
" A summer home of murmurous wings."
Digitized
by Google
3^6 TREES, IN THEIR SOCIAL RELA TIONS.
Our linden is less compact in form than the foreign
species, but greatly its superior in foliage. As a street
tree it is seldom seen with us, but abroad it is a favorite
for avenues, —
** The broad ambrosial aisles of Jofty limes,"
as the laureate describes them.
One of the most picturesque trees of our woodlands
is the Sycamore, Plane-tree or Buttonwood {Platanus),
Its great size, the fantastic wildness with which it spreads
abroad its speckled arms, its broad leaves, and its habit
of shedding the outer bark in great scales, leaving the
body a lustrous white, make it a very conspicuous object.
From the difficulty of working its twisted fibre, this
tree is often left standing after its companions are felled,
the solitary giant ghost of the clearings. The Oriental
species, which closely resembles ours, was introduced
Digitized
by Google
LINDEN,— SYCAMORE.
397
into England about the middle of the sixteenth century,
and is now a favorite tree for avenues throughout
Europe, while it is seldom cultivated with us. Its size
and ample shade made the plane-tree a favorite with the
ancients. It was in academic groves, beneath
" The pillar' d dusk of sounding sycamores,"
that the philosophers of old delivered their lessons of
wisdom.
In the deep alluvion of our river bottoms this tree at-
tains enormous size. I remember in my boyhood seeing
a section of a sycamore brought from the valley of the
Mohawk, near Utica, and converted into a travelling
saloon. Its hollow interior was fitted up with the usual
appurtenances of a grocery, including a stove, and a
dozen persons found standing-room within. But my
story is beaten by Pliny, who tells of a plane-tree in
Lycia which measured eighty-one feet circumference.
Digitized
by Google
398 TREES, IN THEIR SOCIAL RELATIONS,
In this tree Licinius, when consul, used to entertain
dinner-parties.
Few trees are more strikingly beautiful in youth and
grand in age than the Beech {Fagus sylvestris), with its
wide-spreading, almost horizontal branches, its smooth
bark, and its light-green, glossy and small but dense
foliage. It is the very altar of love. Where but under
its shade has the traditionary sigh been so often heaved !
Where have lovers so often delighted to exchange their
vows, and on its
" trunk's surviving frame
Carv'd many a long-forgotten name ! **
Another most elegant tree of our northern woods is the
Birch {Be tula). The several kinds are among the earliest
of our forest dwellers to put forth their foliage, delicate
and drooping. The white birch, by its silvery bark, con-
trasts brilliantly with the dark evergreen forest, where
Digitized
by Google
BEECH.—BIRCH,
399
it loves to dwell. It is also a favorite of the poets, and is
not peculiar to America. Scott sings of climes
" Where weeps the birch with silver bark,
And long dishevelled hair."
Coleridge pronounces it the '* lady of the woods.** A
larger species, peculiar to America, is well known in her
aboriginal annals, from the use made of its bark in the
construction of the light, elegant and serviceable Indian
canoe.
Of all trees of temperate climes none equals in majesty
the Oak {Quercus), the acknowledged king of the woods.
In variety of kinds, if not in grandeur, this country ex-
ceeds all others. Micheaux enumerates forty indigenous
species. Of these, at least half exist in this neighbor-
hood.
Digitized
by Google
400 TREES, IN THEIR SOCIAL RELATIONS.
The White Oak {Q, alba) attains the largest size and is
truly a forest monarch. Some idea of the size attained
by the white oak in the heavily-wooded tract about De-
troit may be had from the dimensions of a stick of tim-
ber got out near Ecorse by one of our ship-builders.
The trunk measured eighteen feet girth, and from it a
single timber was squared to three feet diameter and
1
fifty-five feet length. An oak cut in my own woods,
back of Detroit, whose circumference was fourteen feet,
had a length of bole of sixty feet to the main fork, and
a total length of one hundred and twenty feet. The
annular layers showed it to be three hundred and sixty
years old, or coeval with the discovery of America by
Columbus I
The Canada Lumberman mentions a Red Oak ((2. ru-
brunt), that was being made into beer barrels in 1881,
which stood 135 feet from top to toe, its girth being \^
feet 9 inches, inside the bark. The stem was straight
Digitized
by Google
OAKS, - WALNUTS. 40 1
and branchless for 66 feet, and gave measurable timber
50 feet above that. Not a flaw nor rotten hole disfigured
this magnificent specimen. Its age was calculated at
375 years.
The Walnuts(y^^^/<^«j), including the Black walnut and
the Butternut, have strong claims upon our social regard.
Though resembling each other, the former is much the
grander tree, its long pinnated leaves having greater ele-
^lackWdtttUt Jggptau^
gance of form, and being more massively displayed. The
green of the foliage is in fine contrast with the dark color
of the trunk and branches.
In the strong, deep soils of Michigan this tree grows to
an immense size. One near Kalamazoo — I hope it may
be there still — measured, a few years ago, thirty-three feet
circumference, at two feet from the ground.
The pleasing color of the walnut lumber, and the ease
with which it may be wrought, cause it to be in deserved
esteem for domestic architecture. But this, appreciation
Digitized
by Google
402
TREES, IN THEIR SOCIAL RELA TIONS.
is of modern growth. In a sparsely settled part of our
State I once rested at a tavern where, to my surprise,
the whole interior, even to the benches, was composed
of these two costly walnuts. Their harmonious contrast
produced a very pleasing effect. But their beauty and
value were lost upon my landlord, for, perceiving my at-
tention attracted to them, be remarked, in the way of
JoLLctLOT^^ Ccmm a.
apology, that he had been compelled to use these mate-
rials on account of the scarcity of pine in that region !
Allied to the walnuts, in our appreciation of their nut-
ting qualities, are the Hickories {Caryd). The variety
known as shell-bark is equally worthy of admiration for
its superb proportions. It is one of the round-headed
trees, but possesses greater dignity than most of its class.
It rises in successive stories, as it were, tower-like, while
the limbs below sweep the earth ; wearing in its grace
Digitized
by Google
CHESNUT,— POPLARS,
403
a majesty that renders it an object worthy the eye of the
landscape painter.
Another of our nut-producing trees, the Chestnut {Cas-
ianed), is equally worthy our notice for its picturesque-
ness. When growing upon the skirts of woods or on the
lawn, it forms a grandly spreading head, the lively green
of its sharp-spined leaves being in pleasing contrast with
the deeper tint of surrounding foliage. Whether in
flower or fruit, it is a most striking object, a favorite for
all time with poets and painters.
The American Poplars (Populus)^ though not favorites
in landscape gardening, and of little value in the arts,
are on many accounts worthy our regard. They are
Digitized
by Google
404 TREES, IN THEIR SOCIAL RELATIONS,
picturesque rather than graceful. The white bark of the
common sort (P, Canadensis) gives variety and contrast
to the wood-side, as the incessant motion of the leaves of
the Aspen (P, tremuloides) gives animation. It is to be
prized also for the earliness of its spring garb and tas-
selled flowers. Some of the species, as the Cottonwood,
are among the largest of our Western trees, sturdy and
majestic, while the Balsam has an element of the beauti-
ful, in the droop of its spray.
Our Scientific Museum possesses two sections of a Cot-
tonwood, from Lapeer County, 7 and 5 feet diameter re-
spectively. The tree was 140 feet high, 10 feet diameter
at base, and three feet diameter at a height of 50 feet.
Its annular rings number 188.
None of our native Willows {Salix) will compare in
striking characteristics with those foreign sorts, the weep-
ing and the golden. Nevertheless our willow is in cer-
Digitized
by Google
PEPERIDGE,— WILLO WS. 405
tain situations full of a beauty of its own. It shows to
best advantage skirting our rivers and ponds. Here
*' it dips
Its pendent boughs, stooping as if to drink.**
The low-growing bushes display their long, lance-shaped
leaves in star-like clusters, making a charming fringe to
the water's edge.
" Eternal greens the mossy margins grace,
Watch*d by the sylvan genius of the place."
I would not fail to notice in this association of North-
ern trees, the Peperidge (Nyssa), a tree little known to
fanciers, but of rare merit. It has a habit of disposing its
limbs horizontally, this disposition being carried out even
to the top, which is often flat, like a table. Its leaves,
though small, are very green and glossy, and in autumn
Digitized
by Google
4o6 TREES, IN THEIR SOCIAL RELATIONS.
change to a brilliant purple and scarlet, making it one of
the most striking objects at that gay season. Our Wood-
mere Cemetery has many fine native specimens.
In its combination of magnificence and grace no tree
of our land equals the White Elm {Uhnus Americana),
The European sort, though of grand proportion, is rigid,
and lacks both the regularity of outline and droop of
spray. This difference in character may be observed on
Boston Common, where are rows of very perfect old
English elms.
The habit of the American species is to divide into
many branches, which, commencing at a few feet from
the ground, rise at first in a compact body, and gradually
curve outwards, the head forming an umbel, which ter-
minates in clusters of long, pendent spray. These sway
gracefully in the winds, and, if allowed to do so, will
brush the earth with masses of small but thickly tufted
leaves. In my admiration of this magnificent tree I
would exclaim with Cowper,
"Could a mind imbued
With truth from Heaven, created thing adore,
I might with reverence kneel and worship thee,**
O thou American Elm !
The elm has this notable peculiarity, that it is alike
graceful, whether allowed to spread freely, or so hemmed
in as to cause it to branch at a great height from the
ground.
It is pleasant to know that this beauty and magnifi-
cence do not pass generally unrecognized, as is testified
by many fine specimens in private grounds, and along
highways, gothic-arched, and by many of a past century,
spared by the axe, and left to adorn the pastures through
the Northern and Eastern States.
Digitized
by Google
ELM,— EVERGREENS, 407
I recall an individual in this vicinity, well known for
its magnificence, — the Lafferty elm. It was situated on
the river road, in what was then part of the town of
Springwells. It is known to have been planted a few
years before the close of the last century, and was a strik-
ing example of the brief period required by the elm to
produce a respectable shade. In 1864 the trunk meas-
ured, at four feet from the ground, ten feet circumfer-
ence, which dimension it held to the commencement of
the limbs. At ten feet the stem parted into seven
branches, each of which was in size a considerable tree.
It stood within the fence, and its limbs extended across
the road, a distance of more than fifty feet, so that
the entire spread must have exceeded 100 feet. One
by one its seven limbs were ruthlessly cut away by the
axe, and finally the main trunk succumbed to the iron
march of improvement. The tree was still in the vigor
Digitized
by Google
4o8 TREES, IN THEIR SOCIAL RELATIONS,
of three score years and ten, and might have continued
for centuries, with increasing honors and usefulness, the
glory of the neighborhood.
With a few words about the evergreen trees of our
Northern forests I shall close these desultory sketches.
The world affords no timber more beautiful, as well as
useful, than the pines, hemlocks, spruces and cedars that
grow so luxuriantly in the northern portions of our State.
What a majesty they add, not unmingled with awe, to
the deep woodland. We recognize Milton's picture, —
** Overhead upgrew
Insuperable height of loftiest shade,
Cedar and pine and fir, a sylvan scene,
And as the ranks ascend, shade above shade,
A woody theatre of stateliest view."
As we penetrate the profound depths, and listen to the
murmurs — most musical, most melancholy — struck out
by that grand old harper, the wind, from their branches,
we catch the poet's enthusiasm,
" Cover me, ye pines 1
Ye cedars, with innumerable boughs 1'*
To the more practical mind the consideration presents
itself, how useful would be this density of foliage if
transferred to the borders of our fields, as a shelter
against the blighting winds.
Our White Pine (Pinus s^roius)— the great tree of the
timber district — lacks the sturdy aspect of the Scotch
and Austrian, but is even more grandly majestic, and
more regular in outline. Its foliage is of very pleasing
green, unchanged by the severest winter.
Of the Hemlock {Abies Canadensis) it is safe to say,
that it surpasses all the evergreens, as well for size as in
the elegance of its feathery foliage and thick but slender
Digitized
by Google
RAPID GROWTH, ^Og
spray. In the first few weeks of spring growth, the
lighter tint of the new leaves, pendent from the ends of
the branches like strings of emeralds, make it the jew-
elled queen of the arboretum. Yet this most graceful of
evergreens is seldom seen in American lawns and door-
yards, where foreign kinds are of common occurrence.
There is an old adage wMch says that " he who plants
pears plants for his heirs,** and many a man is restrained
from setting out forest trees from the conviction that life
is not long enough to enable him to enjoy their benefits.
Now, aside from the fact that this is a selfish considera-
tion, it is not true that most trees are of so slow growth.
Some items may here be given from my limited experi-
ence.
In 1856 I transplanted into my grounds several trees
of different kinds from the neighboring woods. Among
these were an elm and a red maple. I measured these at
intervals of ten years, with the following results : When
planted each measured, at four feet from the ground,
eight inches diameter. In 1866 the elm measured one
foot six inches, the maple one foot ten inches. In 1876
the elm measured two feet, the maple two feet eight
inches diameter.*
Thus each tree had in the first decade considerably
more than doubled in diameter of trunk, and at the end
of the second the elm had trebled, and the maple
quadrupled the original girth. If we reduce the meas-
urements to cubic contents we should find that each
tree had increased in 20 years to more than 16 times
its first bulk. In fact the maple nearly doubled in
♦ In 1886 the elm had increased to two feet five inches, and the maple
to three feet three inches diameter,
Digitized
by Google
4IO TREES, IN THEIR SOCIAL RELATIONS,
size each year. The trees are now (1877) over 60 feet
in height, and have a spread of limb fully as great. In
each the lower branches bend quite to the earth, form-
ing complete bowers.
This growth is by no means exceptional. That of
smaller and younger trees far exceeds this, and I men-
tion the instance rather to show with what rapidity a
fine shade and ornament may be obtained for the door-
yard, from one or two specimen trees only.
A dozen or more trees, planted on Vinewood Avenue,
increased in eighteen years from about three inches
diameter to an average of seventeen or eighteen inches ;
six times the original measurement, and thirty-six times
the actual size.
All were excelled in rapidity of growth by a black
walnut; a mere whip-stock when planted, but twenty
years afterward' a lofty tree, with a trunk four feet in
circumference. Assuming its. diameter when set to
have been two inches, it had increased to sixty-four times
its original size, trebling each year, and that, too, on a
soil of light sand. How speedily at this rate may a
forest be grown, and with what immense profit, within
an ordinary lifetime.*
The planting of all our roadways is one of the readi-
est means of obtaining the results derived from the
presence of trees, with the least expense or loss to culti-
vable land. By this means may be secured, at frequent
intervals, belts for shelter to the fields, while a grateful
shade is afforded to man and beast, and travel rendered
a delight rather than a torture.
European travellers have noticed the little care taken
* This tree is now (1886) six feet circumference.
Digitized
by Google
AS SCA VENGERS^—HOSTILES, 4 1 1
to preserve the finest specimens of our native trees in the
country ; while they speak with admiration of the pains
taken to adorn our cities with handsome avenues. And
here truly their social influence is widely felt.
" But rising from the dust of busy streets
These forest children gladden many hearts ;
As some old friend their welcome presence greets
The toil-worn soul, and fresher life imparts.
Their shade is doubly grateful when it lies
Above the glare which stifling walls throw back ;
Through quivering leaves we see the soft blue skies,
Then happier tread the dull, unvaried track."
Alice B. Neal.
I have not yet noticed another aspect in which trees
have their value, namely, as scavengers of the atmosphere.
But for them the air would become loaded with an
injurious amount of carbonic acid, an element destructive
to animal life. Especially in cities, and amid the settle-
ments of man. is this protection desirable. The respira-
tion of men and animals, the consumption of fuel, and other
sources, pour into the atmosphere continually carbonic
acid. Growing plants assimilate the carbon, replacing
it with oxygen, the source of life and energy.. This re-
sult the leaves accomplish ; but the roots also have their
part in the purifying process, by taking up the noxious
products of fermentation with which the gutters are
charged.
Paris is said now to have so large a number of parks,
and its streets and boulevards are so profusely shaded
with trees, that the death rate has been thereby reduced
from one in 24 to one in 39.*
Where there is plenty of growing foliage there is no
* Scientific Monthly y April, 1875.
Digitized
by Google
412 T/^EES, IN THEIR SOCIAL RELATIONS.
malaria. The project of Garibaldi to restore the deadly
Campagna, by planting the rapid-growing eucalyptus,
has been called wild, but it is entirely practical.
Can the laws be too cogent, not merely for the en-
couragement of planting, but in punishment for unnec-
essary destruction ! Especially should the value and
uses of trees be made to enter into the education of the
rising generation.
Last spring I set out a row of 50 vigorous young sap-
lings along a public street. Before the end of the sea-
son not one had escaped the knife or hatchet, all being
injured and some killed. The act was undoubtedly one
of youthful wantonness. But how much more apprecia-
tion is exhibited by boys of larger growth ? Year by year
our streets lose some of their finest ornaments, never to
be regained. Many are suffered to be gnawed to death
by horses. Some perish by the needless cutting off of
roots by careless workmen, in the laying of walks and
drains ; others by rights heedlessly accorded to paving
contractors, gas companies and others, for digging up
the streets and walks at will, regardless of the trees.
There would even seem to be in some minds an innate
hostility to these lovely products of Nature. I am dis-
posed to think such are actuated by an instinct, legiti-
mately descended from some ancestor who had reason
for his hatred. For thus saith the poet, —
" Indulgent Nature on each race bestows
A secret instinct to discern its foes :
The goose — a silly bird— still shuns the fox,
Lambs fly from wolves, and sailors steer from rocks,
The rogue a gallows as his fate foresees.
And bears a like antipathy to trees."
Digitized
by Google
i
SYLVAN LOVERS,
413
Great men of all ages have loved trees, and have ever
paid them a kind of devotion.
Alexander had his favorite among them, which, in
moments of unambitious retirement, he treated with
the endearment of a child.
The good Oberlin, whose moral instructions and pa-
ternal care over the flock of which he was pastor pre-
served among a people shut up in the fastnesses of
Switzerland a character of piety and sober industry,
while Europe was agitated with scenes of moral and
civil discord, inculcated the raising of trees as a religious
duty.
Many Eastern sages — among them the wise Zoroaster
— made arboriculture a precept of religion.
In such estimation were trees held by many ancient
legislators, that particular species were consecrated to
the several divinities which the country worshipped.
Under their hallowed shade were the national rites per-
formed, and sacrifices to the deity accepted. In these
sylvan retreats the gods condescended to hold inter-
course with mortals.
The delicate fancies of the classic poets delighted to
associate with the life of trees such imaginary forms as
the elves, the dryads, the fawns, and other sylvan b&ings,
whose lives were commensurate with that of the tree
which each inhabited.
Though our purer faith has discarded such notions,
the general advance of knowledge has given us even
stronger ground for reverence and love. Botanical
science has revealed so great a similarity between the
vegetable and animal, that it is hard to tell where the
one nature ends and the other begins. In fact, some
vegetables possess a complexity and delicacy of organ-
Digitized
by Google
414 TREES, IN THEIR SOCIAL RELATIONS.
ism, an exquisite adaptation of every part, and even a de-
gree of instinct, which do not belong to the lower order
of animals. So far, science confirms the imagination of
the poet ; for to her eye, as to his — though in a larger
and better sense — the tree becomes a sentient being.
It is but a step from this to a consciousness on its part
of our care and homage.
When we transplant a sapling from the forest, and set
it down in our own door-yard, it is as if we had tamed a
wild animal, and made one more pet for our household.
An untutored savage has been converted into a domestic,
and become attached to us by a tie of relationship.
Henceforth a new friend is added to our list, whose
character is being yearly developed beneath our eyes.
Let Americans then cherish with pride the trees of
their native land. While we look with rapture upon
their grace of outline, the proud dignity of their rough
bodies and lofty limbs, the rich green of their foliage in
summer, or its rainbow beauty in autumn ; while we en-
joy their refreshing shade, and are made better by their
companionship; above all when we go forth to
The wide old wood from his majestic rest,
Summoning from the innumerable boughs
The strange deep harmonies that haunt his breast,"
let it be a duty to see to their healthful preservation, to
study their habits and virtues, and to encourage the
public appreciation.
There is a moral to the fable of the dryads, for trees
are the guardian genii of the places they inhabit.
Associated with our earliest youth, they never cease to
interest, while our sense of their benefits increases with
advancing years. Though what we now plant may
Digitized
by Google
Trees as friends. 4 1 5
come to maturity only after we shall have ceased to be-
hold them, we know that they will gladden the eyes even
of our children's children, and that we leave behind us
living monuments, that shall bear our memories to pos-
terity when we are beneath the sod whicl
and adorn.
Digitized
by Google
Digitized
by Google
CLIMATE OF DETROIT AND THE
LAKE REGION.
Digitized
by Google
< h C
g g^
H 2 ;
o ? 8
2^ S •«
w « «
?-■ J :i
2 ^^
^ « •'
X en
Q ^ S
< o^
§ 2 s
^ 5 §
fa C/}
< 2 a
S > a
-^ o =
418
Digitized
by Google
CLIMATE OF DETROIT AND THE LAKE
REGION.*
Part I.
WITHIN a few years the science of meteorology
has made great progress under organized corps
of observers. It is fair 'to state that while I make use of
all the resources within my reach, in the preparation of.
this paper, its conclusions are based mainly upon inde-
pendent observations, drawn from my records of the last
thirty-nine years. Little of merit as these may claim,
compared with the more strict deductions of the scientist,
they may, like the observations of almost any lover of
nature, serve to set facts in some new light, or new com- '
bination, and thus have a practical value.
That the immense bodies of water known as the Great
Lakes affect the climate of this region is well known ;
but the nature and extent of their influence are yet but
little familiar to the popular mind. Indeed, with all the
advance in the science of weather, the data for scientific
determinations have been and still are very scanty.
The controlling element in all climates is temperature.
The direction and strength of winds, and the amount of
moisture descending in rain, mist and snow, are sources
of modification, or results, rather than chief causes.
Though the temperature of any locality depends mainly
upon general astronomical causes, felt all around the globe,
♦ Read before the Detroit Scientific Association, 1874.
419
Digitized
by Google
420
CLIMA TE OF DETROIT,
it is also known that local causes have a very considerable
share in the production of climate. Thus, the seasons on
this continent differ greatly from those of the same lati-
tudes in Europe, being hotter in summer and colder in
winter. Our spring and autumn also differ from theirs
in duration, and in other characteristics.
General facts like these I assume without going into
the wide field of explanation. They and their causes
are familiar to you.
I shall also assume as well known the fact that iso-
thermal lines, or lines drawn through places of equal tem-
perature over the United States, by no means conform to
the latitude, but are deflected north or south by local
causes, and that among these the Great Lakes have a
prominent importance.
The winter isothermal lines are deflected northerly, and
the summer lines southerly, in approaching these bodies
of water. In other words, their vicinity is warmer in
winter and cooler in summer than places in the same
parallel removed from them, except in the immediate
vicinity of the ocean.
These general facts I shall endeavor to render more
clear by means of a chart. Instead of the usual method
of delineating the isotherms in a regular series of degrees
of temperature, I have taken only the means, in summer
and in winter, of certain places specially important to
my purpose, and carry the isotherms of these degrees
across the region of the lakes, from the Atlantic to the
Mississippi. For instance, Detroit has a mean summer
temperature of 67 deg. and a mean winter temperature
of 26 deg."*^
* See Part 11.—" Additional Observations "—for an increase in both sum-
mer and winter means, since the above was written,
Digitized
by Google
ISOTHERMALS.
421
Observers will notice the summer isothermal of 67 de-
grees, commencing at the sea-coast at Cape Cod. It
passes a few miles up the coast and thence inland to a
lower latitude in Central Massachusetts. From thence
it rises rather suddenly into and along the Valley of Lake
Champlain, almost to Quebec. Here it divides, passing
southerly. One branch between Albany and Utica is
carried into high lands of Pennsylvania, whence it rises
again toward Buffalo, and west through Lake Erie.
The other follows Montreal River and south shore of
Lake Ontario and north shore of Lake Erie, uniting
with the former at Detroit. From here it bears northerly
into the Peninsula almost two degrees of latitude, until,
feeling the cool waters of Lake Michigan, it loops sud-
denly down toward Chicago. Curving thence upward
along the western coast, it leaves the lake at a point
some miles north of Milwaukee, but at a lower point
than on the eastern coast. Its course is now rapidly
northward, until it reaches the parallel of 46 degrees, in
longitude 95 degrees, a little north and west of St. Paul.
• From the parallel of 42 deg. on the Atlantic it has
passed through 4 deg. of latitude, or about 280 miles,
in its approach to the Western plains. Over these, pass-
ing westward, it rises to a much higher parallel.
The cooling effect of the lakes upon the summer heat
is here strikingly shown. Detroit has a lower mean sum-
mer temperature than Montreal and Quebec, although
the latter is nearly five degrees further north.
St. Paul is hotter than Chicago, 3 deg. south.
The isothermal of the mean winter temperature of
Detroit (26^) exhibits equal aberrations. Commencing at
the sea-coast about latitude 43 deg., and coursing first
south and then up the Hudson to Albany, it is thence
Digitized
by Google
422 CLIMA TE OF DETROIT.
pressed rapidly to the south and along the AUeghenies,
down to the parallel of 40 deg. Thence it sweeps
northerly to Buffalo, whence it passes west across Lake
Erie, loops up into Lake Huron, down to Detroit, and
thence rapidly south-west into Indiana. It thence
again loops upward and far into Lake Michigan, sweep-
ing the easterly coast. Turning sharply thence to
Chicago it trends rapidly to the south-west, and strikes
the Missouri at about the parallel of 40 deg.
From its lowest depression, at this point, to its high-
est, at the lakes, it has passed through four degrees of
latitude, showing admirably the warming influence of the
lakes upon the winter cold of this zone.
Let us now take a more northerly point and follow the
isotherms of Sault St. Marie and Marquette, which have
each a summer mean of 62 deg. and a winter of 18 deg.
You see by the chart how the summer mean of 62 deg.
bends south from its high latitude, north of Quebec, well
down into Lake Huron, and that passing thence into
Lake Superior it trends still more rapidly to the north.
Between the meridians of 70 deg. and 95 deg. it hcis
ranged through 5 deg. of latitude, or 350 miles.
The winter mean of 18 deg. shows still more compli-
cated irregularities, though not so wide a divergence. It
has its most southerly deflections in Massachusetts and
Minnesota, about latitude 44 deg., and its most northerly
at the coast of Lake Superior, in latitude 47 deg., a range
of 3 deg.
Take now some point south of Michigan, say the city
of New York, which has a summer mean of 72 deg., and
a winter of 31 deg.
The isotherm of 72 deg. follows down the AUeghenies
as far south as the parallel of 38 deg. ;. thence bears
Digitized
by Google
TEMPERATURE AS MODIFIED BY THE LAKES,
423
rapidly north-west to Dubuque, ranging through nearly
five degrees of latitude. You cannot fail to observe how
it loops up into the peninsula of Michigan as far north as
Detroit, but bears away from the near vicinity of the
lakes, where the summer means are cooler by 4 or 5 degs.
The winter isotherm of 32 degs., commencing at the
sea-coast near New York, flanks the AUeghenies through
several degrees of latitude, southerly, thence curves up-
wards towards the lakes, as far north as Columbus, Ohio,
and thence again bends southerly, until it strikes the
Missouri west of and about the latitude of St. Louis, a
range of less than three degrees. Both these isotherms
are too distant to be as much affected by the lakes as
those first noticed.
These few observations perhaps sufficiently illustrate
this part of our subject, though they by no means show
all the divergences and irregularities to which many of
the isothermals of this latitude are subject.
Our locality, though so greatly modified in several
aspects of its climate by the presence of the Great Lakes,
falls within the general system which prevails throughout
the temperate zone on this continent.
It will be remembered that the lakes do not occupy
valleys, as many suppose, nor do they fill gorges among
mountains. On the contrary, there are no very elevated
lands on or near their borders, but the region is rather a
vast plain than a valley. The planes of ascent from
their surface sare very moderate, the levels which sepa-
rate the streams that discharge into the lakes from those
which discharge into the Atlantic or Gulf of Mexico be-
ing broad and low, rather plateaus than hills.
Were these bodies of water dry land, of the same ele-
Digitized
by Google
424 CLIMATE OF DETROIT,
vation, there would exist no conditions tending to de-
flect the isothermal lines from their regular curves from
the great plains to the Atlantic. But so large a surface of
water — warmer in winter and cooler in summer than the
land — does very sensibly affect the temperature of the
atmosphere which passes over them, and as tempera-
ture is the governing element of climate, the character
of the season is essentially modified through their in-
fluence. The effect is to equalize the temperature over
a considerable area, and to soften the extremes.
This modification of the climate may be made further
apparent by a comparison of the mean range of tempera-
ture of the months for a series of years, at different posts
of observation in this latitude.
Thus, while the mean temperature of the year does
not vary greatly for the lake borders and places 500
miles distant, east and west, on the same parallel, the
temperature at the latter falls to a lower mean in winter,
or rises to a higher one in summer, or both. The mean
of the year at Detroit and through New York and New
England, on the same parallel (47 deg. to 48 deg.), differs
only about one degree ; but the mean range, that is, the
increase from February, when the rising scale begins,
until it commences to decline, in July, is at Albany and
Amherst 4.5 deg. greater ; the means rising from a range
of 43 deg. during that period at Detroit, to 47.5 deg. at
the other places.
Westward, this feature is still more conspicuous. At
Battle Creek, due west from Detroit, and about equidis-
tant from lakes Erie and Michigan, we find a mean range
10 deg. greater than in Detroit ; the mean of the year be-
ing only a little more than i deg. higher. At Dubuque
the difference is 12 deg. At St. Paul (2 deg. of lati-
Digitized
by Google
MONTHLY MEANS.
425
tude farther north) it is 16 deg. The mean of the year
being at Dubuque 2 deg. higher, and at St. Paul 3 deg.
lower than here, while the winter at Dubuque is 4 deg.
colder, and the summer 4.5 deg. warmer than Detroit.
The mean temperature of each of the three winter
months at Detroit is nearly the same, and varies but
little from the general winter mean of 27 deg. At the
other places named, on the same parallel, the lowest
mean is not reached until some time in January ; but
the temperature begins to rise from that month onward,
and merges more rapidly into the heats of summer.
The difference between the means of January and
March at Detroit is 7 deg. At other places east, in
the same latitude, it is 9 to 10 deg. The same differ-
ence is found at Battle Creek ; scarcely less at Chicago ;
while at Dubuque it rises to 15 deg., and at St. Paul to
18 deg.
Equally marked is the rapid increase of temperature
from March to May. At Detroit the advance does not
exceed 22 deg. At Utica, Albany and Amherst it ex-
ceeds 25 deg. A like increase obtains at Battle Creek
and Chicago, and at Dubuque and St. Paul it reaches
28 deg.
The maximum summer heat is attained in July in this
latitude ; the mean of that month being about 2 deg.
above the summer mean at Detroit and eastward, and
about 3 deg. at places westward.
Thence the decline into autumn is very gradual until
September, the temperature of August corresponding
nearly with the means of summer throughout (69 deg.),
and that of September ranging from 6 deg. to 8 deg.
below.
From September the decline is more rapid, but regular
Digitized
by Google
426
CLIMA TE OF DETROIT.
to October, which represents the means of the autumn
quite closely (50 deg).
The decline from the means of summer to those of au-
tumn varies from 18 deg. to 20 deg., being a difference
of about 2 deg. only for the different places named on
this parallel. But the decline from autumn to winter,
which is but 20 deg. at Lake Erie, ranges to 24 deg. at
the interior stations east, and to 30 deg. at Dubuque, and
at Battle Creek to 27 deg.
These results show the effect of the lakes, first, in a
modification of the extremes, causing a difference of
several degrees in the means of both summer and winter
near their borders.
Second, in a prolongation of spring on the lake bor-
ders. Here the temperature of April represents nearly
the mean of spring. At Battle Creek, April is about 4
deg. above the mean of spring, and at Dubuque April
has nearly reached the mean of May at Detroit.
Third, in a prolongation of autumn or more gradual
descent into winter. In December, places on this par-
allel in New York, Massachusetts and Central Michigan
have reached the winter mean of Detroit, but still want
two or three degrees of their own winter mean. Du-
buque in December has reached a point 2 deg. lower
than the winter mean of Detroit.
Fourth, in a modification of single extremes. The
maximum noted by me in thirty years' observation, at
and near Detroit, is 94 deg., the minimum — 18 deg. Very
rarely does the mercury fall below — 10 deg. in any winter,
the above extreme of — 18 deg. having occurred only
twice during the period.
During the same period in Central New York and
Digitized
by Google
OUK SEASONS,— COMPARISONS. 427
Massachusetts the maximum has reached above 100 deg.
and the minimum — 34 deg., the Detroit minimum of
— 18 deg. having occurred on an average once in every
two winters.*
Such severe extremes are often sudden and very tem-
porary, and afford little indication of the general char-
acter of the seasons. Nevertheless, they are an impor-
tant element in our estimate, and often attest the capa-
bility, or otherwise, of any given climate for the growing
of the more tender plants.
The character of our seasons as shown by these com-
parisons of temperature may be stated thus in general
terms :
The winter of Detroit is warmer than that of places in
the same latitude in Central New York, Massachusetts
and Michigan, by at least two degrees, and is 4.5 deg.
warmer than the mean five hundred miles west.
Spring is 4 deg. colder, than the central positions men-
tioned, and the increase from March to May is more
gradual.
Summeris cooler than on the parallel east by i deg. to
2 deg. ; than Central Michigan by 3 deg., and the more
westerly positions by 4.5 deg.
Autumn is cooler by i deg. than the points east ; by 2
deg. than Central Michigan, and by 4 deg. than the west-
erly posts ; and the decline of heat is less rapid through
the autumn months.
These favorable modifications of the prevailing climate
of this region are still more strongly impressed upon the
eastern than the western borders of the lakes, in conse-
quence of the prevailing westerly winds, which distrib-
* But see Part II. — " Additional Observations."
Digitized
by Google
428
CLIMATE OF DETROIT,
ute over the land the more equable temperature of the
water.
The mean of summer at Grand Haven is 2 deg. lower,
and that of winter 3 deg. higher than at Milwaukee.
The summer temperature is also carried further on into
the autumn, and the winter mean falls a month later.
Still more marked is the situation in regard to single
extremes. It is claimed that the thermometer never falls
below — 16 deg. as an extreme at any point on the
eastern shore of Lake Michigan (Winchell), even as far
north as Traverse Bay, a latitude in which elsewhere,
both east and west, the temperature has at periods of
extreme cold fallen as low as — ^40 deg.
The wonderful advantages possessed by this favored
coast of our peninsula are fast procuring for it an envied
celebrity. It is destined to become the most noted fruit
region of the United States, having all the advantages
of the climate of the Ohio, the .Missouri and California,
without their drawbacks.
It will be seen that Detroit, though so favorably af-
fected by the vicinity of the lakes, cannot claim all the
extraordinary benefits they confer in so high a degree,
and why the palm is borne from her by the locations on
Lake Michigan and by the southern coast and the islands
of Lake Erie.
That delicate foreigner, the peach, is with us liable to
loss of the crop by May frosts, and even the tree itself
often suffers from the winter extremes ; but no such
mishaps occur on the western coast of the peninsula.
The native grape frequently suffers here, both in fruit
and vine, but the crop almost never fails upon the islands
in Lake Erie. These have a climate peculiarly favorable,
both from the retarded spring and the prolonged autumn
Digitized
by Google
WINDS. 429
of their locality. In these respects they contrast most
favorably with the much more southerly climates where
the grape is cultivated.
An illustration of this came under my observation in
the spring of i860. Being at Lexington, Kentucky, on
the night of the 25th of April, I was desirous to visit the
most promising vineyard in that neighborhood, the vines
of which were set full in fruit. The morning brought a
black frost, and when I visited the yard. not a bunch was
found unspared ; the whole crop was destroyed. Return-
ing North, I reached Lake Erie on the ist of May.
There a winter temperature still reigned, and not a bud
had put forth. In due time the island yines set fruit and
produced an abundant crop.
The prevailing winds of this locality are in winter west,
or those directions into which west enters. They vary
from south-west to north-west, seldom east or south-east.
In spring, east and north-east winds prevail nearly half
the time. They vary from east to west, and north-east
to south, but seldom north-west. In some of the spring
months, usually March or April, east and north-east winds
are the prevailing ones. In others westerly.
In summer, south-west winds prevail, varying from
south to west. East and west winds are frequent, but
very few north-west or south-east.
In autumn, westerly winds are prevalent, varying to
south-west and south, but a westerly direction enters into
two-thirds of the winds of this season.
Taking the yearly average, probably two-thirds of the
winds are south-west, west and north-west.
Light showers or falls of snow come with westerly
winds, as also the summer thunder-storms, but the long
Digitized
by Google
430 CLIMA TE OF DE TROIT,
rains and snow-storms are attended by an easterly wind.
The severe and cold wind storms, however, are from the
west, and it is from this direction that the winds come
with greatest force, and we receive the storms that are so
destructive to vessels on the lakes. This prevalence of
surface winds from the west is only a necessary result of
that majestic atmospheric current, which, in this temper-
ate zone, is ever silently but unceasingly sweeping round
the globe.
As the amount of precipitation of moisture, in the
form of rain and snow, depends upon the vicinity of large
water surfaces, it would naturally be supposed that the
climate of Michigan should be a moist one. But the
contrary is the case. In fact, the peninsula climate is
exceedingly dry, if we consider the total amount of rain-
fall. The cause will be apparent when we consider the
source from which our rains come, and the relation that
subsists between the rainfall and the temperature.
The Gulf of Mexico undoubtedly furnishes the great
source of supply to the atmosphere east of the plains.
The vapor-laden trade winds, coming from the warm
tropic seas, carry their volume of moisture over the Gulf
States, where large quantities are precipitated. As it is
borne further inland this supply meets the great current
of south-westerly winds, and is carried north and east
with a constantly diminishing amount of precipitation.
From the gulf coast, where it is greatest, to the lakes,
the rainfall has gradually diminished ffom the large mean
annual amount of 60 inches to 28 inches.
The result would probably be quite uniform were
there no diversities of surface to cause local differences.
The same effect is visible, to a less extent, along the
Digitized
by Google
RAINFALL,
431
Atlantic coast, where the easterly winds contribute to
the supply.
To a still less extent this effect is apparent in the
vicinity of the lakes. The total rainfall is two to four
inches greater in the interior of the peninsula than on
the immediate borders.
The law which prevails in Europe, of an excess of
precipitation upon the mountain summits and elevated
plains, does not hold generally in the United States,
where rather a contrary law obtains. The high plateaus
— even the elevated chain of the Alleghenies — have less
of both summer and annual precipitation than the lower
lands on either side. Our peninsula, which is a plateau
not exceeding 1000 feet above the ocean, is no exception
to the rule.
This phenomenon is doubtless due to the lower tem-
perature of the higher lands, during the season of greatest
precipitation, and shows that general rather than local
causes govern the rainfall throughout the whole country.
The cooler summer atmosphere, which we have seen to
be the effect of the near vicinity of the lakes, contributes
to this result, and will explain in part, no doubt, the
comparative dryness of the Michigan climate.
With the exception of the gulf coast this portion of the
Untied States belongs to the great area of equally dis-
tributed rains, one that has no defined rainy seasons.
We have, consequently, no periodic rains, although the
periods of most abundant rains are looked for quite regu-
larly in the summer and the early autumn months. It is
usual to expect the ** equinoctial storm,'* as it is called,
— a rainy period of several days, — about the end of Sep-
tember ; but even this is quite uncertain, both as to its
duration and even its occurrence.
Digitized
by Google
. ^2 CUM A TE OF DE TROIT.
During the heat of summer our rains occasionally
assume a character suited to the tropical vehemence of
the temperature, and pour down with great profusion
though their duration is short.
A peculiar phenomenon of the rain storms in this local-
ity is that they occur so frequently under the cool shades
of the night, preceded and followed by cloudless days.
Although the amount of rainfall is so small in this dis-
trict, I think it will be found, were the records sufficiently
extended, that the number of days on which some rain or
snow falls is as great as in more southerly districts, where
the annual amount is twofold.
That our atmosphere is little, if at all, affected by the
diffuse evaporation from the surrounding water surfaces
is evident from its great clearness, the intense azure of its
sky, and the brilliancy of its moonlight and star canopy.
The region of the lakes is noted also for its beautiful
sunsets. In this, as well as in the transparency of its at-
mosphere, it excels the Eastern States, and more than
rivals far-famed Southern Europe. Talk of the blue skies
of Italy ! We have more clear firmament, and of a deeper
depth of blue, in one month than Italy in half the year.
To exhibit clearly our relation to the surrounding ter-
ritory would require charts of the isohyetal lines. In
the absence of these, a brief statement may serve to con-
vey a proximate idea.
In broad terms, the area of 8 to 9 inches spring rain-
fall includes the whole Michigan peninsula. The cen-
tral and western portions have nearly one inch more than
the eastern, and at Mackinaw and St. Mary's the total
has diminished to about 5 inches.
The area of 9 to 10 inches summer rainfall includes
all the lakes and Lower Canada. There is but little
Digitized
by Google
RAINFALL OF THE SEASONS.
433
variation throughout the peninsula ; 9 inches represent-
ing fairly the eastern side, and 10 inches the central and
western.
The autumn rainfall has about the same general aver-
age, but diminishes to about 8 inches at the north, • or to
the same mean as Wisconsin.
The average winter precipitation is about 5 inches ;
somewhat less on the east side of the State, and about
one and a half inches more in the interior and west.
The total annual precipitation is 30 to 31 inches on
the east side, increasing south and west to 34 inches, and
diminishing to 25 inches at Mackinaw. The average for
the whole peninsula is 33 inches.
Comparing these means with those which obtain at a
small remove, we find that a summer rainfall of from ten
to twelve inches (or two to three inches in excess of De-
troit) crowds closely up lakes Michigan, Erie and On-
tario, and sweeps over the lower half of Wisconsin, and
as far north and west as St. Paul.
The winter precipitation increases rapidly as we ad-
vance south from Lake Erie, being fully seven inches
through the north part of Ohio and Indiana (or two
inches above the mean of Michigan), and increases to
eleven inches at Cincinnati.
Proceeding south from Michigan the total annual pre-
cipitation increases at the rate of about three inches for
every degree of latitude, to the Ohio River, where it is
forty-eight inches, or fifteen inches more than the mean
of Michigan.
At 95 deg. longitude the mean annual precipitation is
about the same as at Detroit. But thence westward the
diminution is rapid, and at the meridian of 100 deg. it is
scarcely more than half that amount.
Digitized
by Google
434
CLIMATE OF DETROIT.
From the lakes to the Atlantic we find a gradual in-
crease, from an annual mean of thirty-two inches to
forty-four inches.
Thus notwithstanding our insular position, the cli-
mate of this region proves to be the dryest in the United
States east of the headwaters of the Mississippi. But
the rains are very equally distributed, through all but
the winter months, which have only one-sixth of the
entire precipitation. Crops, therefore, seldom suffer from
the want of moisture, even in the dry periods.
South of the Ohio the winters have one-third of the
whole precipitation — equal to that of the summer.
Having considered the character of the seasons and
our relation to neighboring parts of the continent, as re-
gards the average measures of precipitation, let us notice
and compare the monthly fluctuations.''*'
At Detroit the smallest quantities fall in the months
of December and February ; the mean of thirty-eight
years being 1.3 and 1.4 inches, respectively, and that of
the three winter months being 1.7 inches.
• From February to June appears a gradual increase,
largest for March and April, when it rises to 2.9, the
mean of the spring being 2.8 inches.
In June, which is the month of largest precipitation,
there is an increase to 3.9 inches, the mean of the sum-
mer being 3.1. From June there is a falling off during
the remaining summer months.
The mean for September rises to 3.3 inches, that of
* Comparing these measures with the "Table of Mean Tempera-
ture and Rainfall of the Seasons," given in the " Additional Observations,"
following this Essay, it will be seen that the figures above given require
some modifications. These, however, do not affect the general deduc-
tions.
Digitized
by Google
MAX. AND MIN. PRECIPITATION TENDENCIES.
435
autumn being 2.4, and falls again through the remainder
of the year.
These results show a tendency to two minima, in De-
cember and February, and to two maxima, in June and
September.
The June freshet is looked for quite uniformly, and
with more certainty than the floods which attend the
melting of the snow in the spring, although the latter
often exceed in temporary height and violence.
A table of the average precipitation for the seasons
and months, for different places, from the Gulf to the
coast of New England, exhibits very considerable con-
trasts. It would be interesting to examine them if we
had the time.
For my present purpose I will advert to the fact only
that there exists a general tendency to minima of pre-
cipitation about the middle or end of winter, and of
maxima about midsummer.
Grouping the results, it may be stated that on or near
the coast of New England the tendency is to one mini-
mum in February of about three inches, and three
maxima, in May four inches, August and November 4.5
to 4 inches.
Through. Central New York one minimum, February,
of 2 inches, and one maximum, June or July, 3.5 inches.
In the Lake region, west of Lake Erie, one minimum
in February, of 1.4 inches, and one maximum in June,
3.5 inches.
In the Ohio Valley one minimum, January and Feb-
ruary, of 3 inches, and one maximum about June, 4.5
inches.
On the Gulf coast two minima, April, 2 inches, and
Digitized
by Google
436 CUM A TE OF DB TROIT,
November, 3 inches, and one maximum, in July, 6 to 8
inches.
The minimum of February at Detroit is less than one-
twentieth, and the maximum of June nearly one-eighth
of the whole average annual rainfall. In other words,
the mean of February is i.i inch below the average
mean of the months ; that of June is oiie inch above the
average mean.
On the diagram is shown the annual precipitation, run-
ning through the mean of the several months, at represen-
tative stations within the group referred to, including also
the upper Mississippi. These few curved lines represent
very closely, and as far as may be done from so few
data, the rainfall through the year, over the whole
United States, east of the great plains.
The remark is frequently made that our climate is un-
dergoing a permanent change. Many think it is becom-
ing drier, which is by some attributed to the destruction
of the forests ; according to others it is becoming perma-
nently colder also.
These popular opinions suggest a very interesting in-
quiry. For the present it may be a sufficient answer
that the statistics of the rainfall, as well as those of the
temperature, do not verify such conclusions.
Throughout this region, from the Atlantic to the Mis-
sissippi, north of the Ohio, the fluctuations, both annual
and for a series of years, are very gr^at, and they show a
tendency to an irregular grouping of years in which the
rainfall is in excess, and of those in which it is in diminu-
tion of the mean. This is governed by no known or ap-
parent law, and though in the main there is a general
agreement throughout the region, yet considerable and
Digitized
by Google
MONTHLY PRECIPITATION,— UNITED STATES.
437
Inches.
>
o
>
>
H
O
:«
o
H
^
H
s
Inches.
Digitized
by Google
438
CLIMATE OF DETROIT,
remarkable differences occur, even at points not widely
separated.*
Diagrams for all this region indicate an average in-
crease of the rainfall from about 1837 until about 1862,
and this fact contradicts the prevalent opinion of increas-
ing dryness. Since that period a general decrease is ob-
servable in this region.
Within this first series of years occur one period of
greatly diminished rainfall, common to the diagrams for
New England, New York, Southern Michigan and Ohio,
viz., from 1835 to 1845, averaging 10 to 15 percent, be-
low the mean for each district, and one period of increased
rainfall, viz., from 1848 to 1862, which averages 10 to
20 per cent, above the mean.
Successive years, however, frequently show great ir-
regularity in the amounts, sometimes falling from 20 to
30 per cent, above the mean of the place to as much
below, within a period of two or three years, breaking
in so violently upon the average as to render any gener-
alization very difficult.
For the sake of comparison I select from each of the
districts named three years of greatest and of least rain-
fall, and bring them together, exhibiting the percentage
which each attains above and below the yearly mean of
the district.
A comparison of these maxima and minima serves to
show how extremely local are the causes of the differ-
ences ; how small, is the correspondence between the lo-
cations for the same years, while it does not indicate
any decided differences in the variability in the different
districts.
« See Part III. — "Periodical Changes," etc.— for more recent conclu-
sions— 1887.
Digitized
by Google
PERCENTAGES OF RAINFALL,
439
A TABLE OF PERCENTAGES OF RAINFALL IN MAXIMUM
AND MINIMUM YEARS.
Years of greatest
maximum.
Percent,
above mean.
Years of greatest
minimum.
Per cent,
below mean.
New England
Coast
New York . .
Southern Mich-
igan
Ohio.
1841
1842
1849
1847
1850
1850
185s
1855
1868
1857
1861
15
1837
1844
1845
1838
1849
1856
1850
1853
1856
1861
1865
1856
16
28
28
The range at Detroit (between highest maximum and
lowest minimum) is fully fifty-five per cent, of the annual
mean, which does not differ greatly from that of the
other districts, though in excess of the eastern ones, but
at St. Paul the range is much greater. There the mean
of the year is only twenty-five inches, while the range,
in nineteen years' observation, is from forty-one to
eighteen inches, or over 100 per cent.
The accompanying diagram will exhibit at a glance
ther annual fluctuations in the rainfall at Detroit since
1834. Each column represents the precipitation of the
year, and the amount in inches is shown by the figures
at the side. The curved line is an attempt at a general-
ization of the several means.*
To the facts we have been considering, and which have
relation to our situation relative to the great sources of
supply, as well as to the plateau character of the country,
is due our comparative exemption from destructive flood-
ing rains and deep snows. Neither the lakes nor the
peninsula streams overflow their banks, causing such de-
♦ For this diagram see " Additional Observations ** — Part II. — where the
columns are extended to date, 1887.
Digitized
by Google
440
CUM A TE OF DETROIT,
vastations as are common in the States east and south of
us. And in winter railroad trains are seldom blocked by
snow, as frequently happens in this latitude.
The same cause which frees this locality from the in-
conveniences of deep snow also deprives us in many win-
ters of sufficient snow for the ordinary winter sledding.
The increased temperature, due to the extensive and
open water surfaces around us, causes the snow to melt
almost as it falls so that it seldom lasts long as a cover-
ing to the soil. The lower atmosphere, at such times,
gathers increased humidity, which occasions a sensible
chill, that is more uncomfortable in its effect than a
steady cold below the freezing point.
Yet it is a noticeable fact that fogs are rare with us, at
any season.
Our deepest snow and of longest continuance usually
occurs in February, which is the month of greatest cold.*
The droughts which prevail, often disastrously, in au-
tumn throughout Michigan are not peculiar to this dis-
trict ; although the less quantity of rain at that season,
than falls over the country east and south, no doubt con-
tributes to this result.
The still drier climate west of Lake Michigan, extend-
ing with increased severity to the great plains, exhibits
this phenomenon in vastly enhanced proportions.
Yet to the same cause is due that peculiar and delight-
ful phenomenon — the Indian summer — which is compar-
atively little known to the Atlantic States, but which
constitutes so pleasing a feature in the lake region.
In a general survey of our seasons the winter at Detroit
may, as a rule, be classed as ** mild and open.**
♦The more extended observations — Part II. — show January to be the
coldest month, by nearly one degree.
Digitized
by Google
OUR SEASONS,-^GENEkAL SURVEY. ^i
My notes show nearly two-thirds of the winters for the
last thirty-eight years to be of this character. These kind
of winters may be* thus described : A temperature sel-
dom below o, and frequently above the freezing point ;
an average temperature i deg. above the winter mean of
27 deg. ; a few weeks at most — often a few days only —
of snow sufficient to make sleighing ; many cloudless
days, though the cloudy ones are in excess ; constant
alternations of frosty nights and days, with warm and
damp or rainy ones, yet with a large number of days of
clear, bracing atmosphere, when the thermometer falls
below freezing at night and rises a little above it by day ;
prevailing west and south-west winds, an occasional storm
that leaves its mantle of snow, followed almost immedi-
ately, or within a few days at most, by the prevailing
openness.
As a rule, only the " cold " winters are snowy ones —
winters whose temperature is i deg. or 2 deg. below the
mean, — when it continues to freeze for several days suc-
cessively. At such periods the local influences are over-
borne by the general causes which prevail in this latitude,
and the cold storms, with their freight of heavy snows,
sweep over and involve our district in the prevailing
frigidity. At such times the ground freezes hard, if bare,
to the depth of two or three feet. Streams are frozen
over, — our broad river included, — and no longer lend
their influence to soften the temperature. Winter gath-
ers strength by its own progress^ and forgets its ordinary
relaxations.
Of the advance of spring-time my note-books furnish a
few items which may serve for useful comparison with
other localities.
Digitized
by Google
442
CLIMATE OF DETROIT.
The first of the forest trees to be animated by the gen-
ial breath are the poplar, willow, elm and ihaple. These
are in flower from April i to 20, the average for the two
latter. being April 7. The earliest period on my records
is in 1845, March 11.
Wild flowers make their appearance about the middle
of April to 1st of May.
Those cultivated fruits, peach and cherry, come into
bloom about a month later than the forest maple and
elm, — 20th of April to middle of May, — the average being
May 8th. Pear and apple follow, 1st to 20th of May ;
average about May 12th.
The forests now begin to show a green tint, but the
perfection of the leaf is not attained until late in June.
We have seen how much the heats of summer are
moderated by our situation. Yet, notwithstanding, our
climate, like that of the whole temperate zone, is one of
fierce extremes ; indeed, at times most fitfully intemper-
ate, and making us acquainted, under the same sky, with
the winter of the Arctic regions and the summer of the
tropics. There are days in our short summers that
fairly belong to the equator, which blaze and quiver
with sunshine like a furnace, and when vegetable growth
may actually be measured in its hourly increase.
There are days in our rigorous winters when the
frosted air cuts like a knife, when storm so follows storm,
in all the grandeur of the season, that for a time the
landscape is obliterated, every familiar object buried out
of sight beneath the congealed and hoary breath of the
storm god.
" No cloud above, no earth below,
A universe of sky and snow."
Whittier.
Digitized
by Google
WEATHER PREDICATES, ^j
But neither heated nor frozen '* terms " ordinarily
last many days at a time. Changes are sudden and vio-
lent, from one extreme of temperature to the opposite.
" Dry " seasons are often accompanied by flooding
rains ; frosts follow a period of hot days, and they have
been known to occur — though very rarely, as in 1859 —
in every month of the year.
Between the spring and the autumn of our climate there
is a striking contrast. For while the spring of the Eng-
lish poets, so familiar to our early literature, — breathing
balm, and leading by slow gradations into summer, —
scarcely exists here, where often winter lingers into May,
and spring leaps at a bound into the arms of summer, or
cheats us with successive storm, cold and wet, the au-
tumn time is the most enjoyable of the year, and is in
grateful contrast to the dull, wet season of Europe.
As a rule, our first two autumn months are pleasant,
cool and dry, and sometimes this agreeable weather is pro-
tracted into the first month of winter. But this season, too,
is changeable, and nearly one-fourth of the years on my
calendar are classed as mild and wet or wet and cold.
This great and constantly recurring irregularity of the
seasons gives disappointment to those who seek to form
predictions of the weather, based upon observations of
previous years.
My own notes are so general in character that they
meet ill 'the strict demands of science. Yet some of the
conclusions drawn from them may be worthy of record.
Winters which, in popular language, are called '* mild
and open," are ordinarily succeeded by " warm and early "
springs, the proportion to those which are *' cold and
late ** being about two to one.
Digitized
by Google
444 CLIMA TE OF DE TROIT.
Cold and snowy winters are certain to be followed by
cold and backward springs. To this law my records
show no exception.
Warm and pleasant summers, if succeeded by dry and
pleasant autumns, are followed, as a rule (not without
exceptions), by mild and open winters.
Cold summers and autumns are ordinarily succeeded by
cold winters, the exceptions being as about one to two.
Warm and early springs are, as a rule, followed by
warm and pleasant summers, the proportions of such to
cold and wet summers being nearly four to one.
Cold and late springs, it may be expected, will be fol-
lowed by cold or wet summers, but they are almost as
frequently succeeded by warm and dry.
Though there is an approach to some measure of regu-
larity in the character of the seasons for a succession or
group of years, no certain law is apparent, but a warm or
a cold, a wet or a dry year is likely to be succeeded by
one or more of like character, before the character is
reversed.
Upon the whole, notwithstanding the great range of
climatic phenomena, and the extreme diversity of certain
seasons and years, the observations of even the last
thirty-nine years — short as is that period for scientific de-
ductions— show our climate to be constant and uni-
form, returning always to the average standard of heat
and moisture.
Popular opinion pronounces some extraordinary ex-
treme to be " unprecedented *' within the memory of
that very unreliable character, "the oldest inhabitant."
But science, from whose stern decrees there is no ap-
peal, declares it to be but local and temporary, and part
of those ever recurring features which, in the cycle of
Digitized
by Google
NATURAL DIVISIONS OF THE SEASONS.
445
the years, only furnish proof of the stability and uni-
formity of nature.
In the natural divisions of the seasons another con-
trast appears between our climate arid that of Europe,
which, though less marked in the vicinity of the lakes,
is yet a noted difference throughout the temperate zone
of America.
The divisions of the calendar year appear much
more arbitrary as applied to our circumstances, and show
that they were meant for another hemisphere.
In attempting a classification better suited to our cli-
mate, if we define ** winter" as the period of hard frosts
and completely dormant vegetation, that season will
embrace not merely a fourth part, but nearly half of the
entire year, or from November to the middle of April in-
clusive, five and a half months.
If we call "spring" the period between the flowering
of the earliest trees and shrubs or the first opening buds
and the full development of the leaves, that season will
have its average beginning about the middle of April
and its end the middle of June, two months.
The reign of " summer,'* the season of the full perfec-
tion of vegetable growth, holds from the middle of June
to the middle of September, three months.
" Autumn," the season of the ripening of the fruits of
the earth and the gradual decadence of vegetable life,
lasts from the middle of September to November, one
and a half months.
In the more genial atmosphere of the lakes, as I have
already noted, the autumnal season is often much more
protracted, and cheats the colder months of a portion of
their supremacy. The bland airs of the Indian summer
help to prolong the illusion ; but it is only an interloper,
Digitized
by Google
446 CLIMA TE OF DETROIT,
and, in general, by November the hard frosts have set in,
and
" Winter comes to rule the varied year."
I cannot close these remarks without adverting to the
substantial advantages which our climate possesses, espe-
cially that of the lake region, over most others on the
globe.
If it is often excessive in its extremes, it has not the
great daily range which in arid climates is so severely felt,
causing a benumbing coldness to the nights after the op-
pressive heat of the day.
If we have sometimes droughts, to the injury of the
crops, we have not those periodic seasons of completely
dry weather, when no rain falls for many weeks, or even
months ; when vegetation can be sustained only by irriga-
tion, and the atmosphere is charged with dust, features
that so greatly detract from the excellences of California.
And if occasional drenching rains flood the growing
crops, they bring at rare intervals to our doors only slight
intimations of those deluges which deform the winters
and the rainy seasons of the South and the Pacific coast,
or which, in the hill countries, often fill the valleys with
the debris of ruined homes.
If severe gales sometimes cause destruction among our
lake craft, and even, though rarely, uproot our orchards,
no tornado ever visits upon us its terrific fury, and our
locality is remarkably free from the sudden and fierce
storms which are an incident even close to our borders.*
The disagreeable features are but exceptions to the
general rule of moderate but sufficient rains for all needs,
equally distributed throughout the year ; a summer tem-
perature, which rapidly quickens into active life the hi-
*In 1875 I^etroit was visited by a small cyclone, the only one known
within the memory of the " oldest inhabitant." — 1887.
Digitized
by Google
J
P ECU LI A R FEA TURES,--AD VANTA GES.
447
bernating earth, and in its fervors gives to our zone some
of the productive power of the tropics, enabling it to
bring to perfection the bountiful maize and other tropical
plants, and especially those various and valuable fruits
that attain their perfection only in our clime — the apple,
pear, peach, plum and grape.
" Whatever fruits in different climes are found,
That proudly rise or humbly seek the ground ;
Whatever blooms in torrid tracts appear,
Whose bright succession decks the varied year ;
Whatever sweets salute the northern sky,
With vernal lives that blossom but to die ;
These here disporting own the kindred soil."
Goldsmith.
It must be acknowledged that our climate, like that of
this continent generally, is a very trying one to the aver-
age American constitution. Its dryness and its frequent
and excessive changes seem to sap from the body that
juiciness of the blood which, under the moist and equable
skies of England, blooms into ruddy complexions and
swells into plump outlines.
Perhaps the climate is not alone responsible for the evil.
Much is attributable to our mode of life ; the incessaat
application to business, in the haste to be rich ; or too
much of indoor life and want of proper exercise in the
open air. Our boys cannot be said to be pale and sickly,
and they brave the weather in all its rudeness.
Though the climate of Detroit partakes of the general
character, it does so to a modified degree. I believe it is
admitted that our locality is remarkable for its healthful-
nessand freedom from endemic diseases. I put the ques-
tion to our professional and well informed President,*
whether Detroit is not even abominably healthy !
* Dr. Andrews.
Digitized
by Google
448 CLIMA TE OF DE TROIT.
Nature is full of compensations. The perpetual sum-
mer of torrid climes is enervating to mind and body.
Even in our Southern States, agriculture, the basis of
wealth, must be carried on by an inferior race.
Do the people who have been brought up in a clime
where summer is eternal appreciate in their full measure
those gifts of bountiful nature whose enjoyment is not
enhanced by their occasional loss ? Does the never-end-
ing succession of flowers and fruits compensate for the
absence of the ** seasons,*' the return of spring, summer
and autumn, after the dearth of winter ; for that period
of biting cold and storm without, and blazing hearths
within,
" king of intimate delights,
Fireside enjoyments, home-born happiness,"
enhancing even by its bitter contrast the enjoyableness
and bloom of summer ?
Where but in such a clime as ours, marked so emphat-
ically by the revolutions of the seasons, with their cold
and heat, and all their pleasing variety and change,
" Forever charming, and forever new,"
do the arts flourish best and man attain his highest perfec-
tion? Happy the land which enjoys the promise of
spring and the realization of autumn ; where the fruits of
the earth are secured only by unremitting care and labor ;
where a frigid temperature strengthens those active ener-
gies that droop in a warmer clime ; and where the glories
of summer, being only an occasional gift, are more wel-
come from the contrast, and more thoroughly appre-
ciated and enjoyed.
Digitized
by Google
ANNUAL RAINFALL, DETROIT, ^g
Inches.
>
O
>
CO
O
5
o
H
>►
a
>
>
>
r
H
o
00
I
M
00
00
ON
ichca.
Digitized
by Google
CLIMATE OF DETROIT AND THE LAKE
REGION.
Part XL — Additional Observations.
SINCE the foregoing essay on the climate of Detroit
was written, ten years and more have passed. This
considerable extension of the series available for scien-
tific deduction enables me to supplement the first essay
by some additional observations.
Attention is at once attracted to the very considerable
increase in both the temperature and the rainfall during
the last decade.
This increase, amounting to about one degree in the
mean annual temperature, and to seven inches in the
mean annual precipitation, brings up the mean tempera-
ture of the whole fifty-year series from 47° — the sup-
posed standard in 1874 — ^to 47.9® in 1886; and the
mean of the rainfall from about 31 inches to 32 inches.
These facts serve to bring scientific observation into
more confirmed opposition to the popular opinion, that
our climate is becoming colder. They show, in fact, that
Detroit has a somewhat warmer climate than has been
generally accredited, and also a liability to greater ex-
tremes.
The diagram of the rainfall published with the above
mentioned essay indicated for this region an average in-
crease from about 1837 until 1862, and after that year a
general decrease. As that record closed, in 1874, another
period of increased precipitation had begun. It con-
450
Digitized by
Google
FROM 1874 TO 1886. 451
tinued to 1881, culminating in 1880 in a register of 47.7
inches, the maximum of the entire semi-centennial series.
Simultaneously, the mean annual temperature advanced,
until it attained 51 ° in 1881 and 1882, or nearly the max-
imum of the whole series.
Since 1880 the columns of annual rainfall have dimin-
ished quite steadily, standing in 1884 at 28.2 inches, rising
to 30 inches in 1885, and again falling to 25 inches in 1886.
The temperature has also fallen, and we seem to be
once more on the downward scale. As even a half-cent-
ury is an insufficient period to establish a certainly cor-
rect average, it is not at all improbable that the means as
determined in 1874, of 30 to 31 inches annual rainfall, and
47® annual temperature, may approach more nearly the
true standard than the higher means accorded by the half-
century record. We are justified, however, in adopting
the new means, which, being the results of the longest
series possible, are at least likely to be substantially ac-
curate.
Let us now inquire what changes, if any,, the added
years have brought to light in the maxima and minima
of temperature.
The highest temperature noted up to 1874 Was 98°
and the lowest — 18°. We must now concede to the rec-
ord of extremes 100*^ maximum, and — 20° minimum, the
highest extreme having been reached in July, 1878, and
the lowest in February, 1875. The minimum of — 18°
has been reached five times within the half-century, viz.,
in 1852, '57, '64, '73 ai^d '79- That of — 14° four times,
— in 1855, '56, 'S9 and *67. That of — 10*^ four times,
— in i860, '61, '66 and '72.
The maximum rainfall of 47.7 inches has been reached
since 1874, as also the extremes of 45 inches, 43 inches,
Digitized
by Google
452
CLIMATE OF DETROIT.
and 40 inches, within the same period; the year 1855
only, outside of this period, exhibiting so high an ex-
treme as 43 inches. The three dryest years are 1845,
'65 and '7^ ^^ch having about 22 inches only.
From the means of thie years let us proceed to those of
the SeasonSy as determined from the monthly means of
the fifty-year period.
These I tabulate as follows :
TABLE OF ]
MEAN TEMPERATURE AND
RAINFALL
OF
THE SEASONS— 1835 TO 1 886.
WINTER. 1
SPRING.
SUMMER.
AUTUMN. 1
YEAR.
d
a
Gj3
H
H
OS .5
it
Dec*
28
2
Mch.
33
2.6
June
67
3-5
Sep.
61.5
2.8
Jan.
26.5
2
Apr.
45-5
2.5
July
71
3-5
Oct.
51
2.7
Feb.
27.2
2
May
57
34
Aug.
69
2.5
Nov.
37.5
2.5
Season
27.3
6
45-5
8.5
69
M.
50
8
47.9
32
Of these means various combinations may be formed
which, while curious in themselves, serve to show how
equally distributed are the temperature means through-
out the year, and also the relations which the several
seasons bear to each other and to the year.
Thus as regards the temperature, the means of winter
and summer combined (96.3°) correspond quite closely
with those of spring and autumn, which are i ° only less
(95.2°).*
Half the mean of each of these couples of seasons rep-
resents the mean temperature of the year. The mean of
* In making up the winter means of any year that of the December of
the year preceding is used, so as to bring into the winter measures the
months which are in juxtaposition.
Digitized
by Google
i83S TO 1886. 453
spring is 2.7° below; while that of autumn is 2° above
the yearly mean.
If we add together the means of any month with
those of the months corresponding in place in the other
seasons, we find their combined means to represent very
nearly the annual mean. Thus, the means of December,
March, June and September equal 47.4° ; those of Janu-
ary, April, July and October equal 48.7° ; those of Feb-
ruary, May, August and November equal 47.7 ° .
The mean of winter a little exceeds half of the autumn
mean, and equals one-seventh exactly the sum of the
means of all the seasons. The mean of summer temper-
ature is 36 per cent, of the sum of the seasons. That of
autumn, 26 per cent.; that of spring, 23 per cent.; that of
winter, 14 per cent.
Turning to the rainfall^ the table shows that the spring
and autumn means nearly equal each other ; the former
being 26 per cent., and the latter 25 per cent, of the an-
nual precipitation. The summer rainfall is the largest,
corresponding with the season of highest temperature,
and is 30 per cent, of the entire precipitation. The win-
ter precipitation is about two-thirds that of summer,
being 19 per cent, of the yearly mean.
To these notes, showing the mean characters of our
seasons, I add a table of seasonal fluctuations (see p. 456).
These figures show the extent of range, and conse-
quent diversity of our seasons in different years.
The tables will prove useful for reference in the
future consideration of our climatology.
The accompanying diagram of the annual rainfall for
the semi-centennial period under review has been ex-
tended from the diagram first published with the essay of
1874-
Digitized
by Google
454
CLIMATE OF DETROIT.
TABLE OF SEASONAL FLUCTUATIONS,
SHOWING THE MAXIMA AND MINIMA OF THE MEANS OF TEMPERATURE
AND RAINFALL; THE YEAR AND THE SEASON OF EACH.
TBMPERATURB
DBGRBE8.
RAINFALL
INCHES.
c
(2
Winter.
Spring
Summer.
Autumn
50-year period.
1882
1875
1846
1837-38
1868
1836-42
1881
1875
1869
1857
38
50
79
58
52
40
64
47
jii
10
IS
1874
1845
1880
1874
1880
1841
1881
187 1
1880
1865
II. 9
13-7
15.6
137
47-7
2.8
4.8
4.5
1.6
i3
91
8.9
26.4
It may be noticed, in proof of the long period which is
required to give accuracy to averages, that for the first
half of this period, in fact down to 1874, the yearly pre-
cipitation but little exceeded a mean of 30 inches, while
the last half shows a mean of 34 inches, and the last
decade a mean of 37.5 inches. The mean of the whole
period is found to be 32 inches.
To exhibit in another form and at a single glance the
means of annual temperature y I subjoin a diagram cor-
responding to that of the rainfall. For more full compar-
ison are added the means of summer and winter, and
also the annual rainfall. With the aid of this diagram
Digitized
by Google
, Winter. , , Year. , , Summer. -
•^^ OOMO^OJ^OO^O^OOOM MONO
o
X
o
>
t >
> z
r ^
C/J
2 ^
2 S
oo O
"I
M Z
w
w
>
H
JO
>
a:
tz:
c
r 8 ^ S) Y5 ^ Temp. t, Degrees
Rainfall g^ &'g'§.-gt-fe Inches.
455
Digitized
by Google
456
CLIMATE OF DETROIT,
and our tabular statements, the relations of precipitation
to temperature, and of the temperature of the seasons to
each other, and to the year, may be readily seen.
The vertical lines represent the years, the horizontal
lines the temperature means, and the rainfall. For the
summer and winter temperature each horizontal line rep-
resents 2 ^ . For those of the year each line represents
i^. For the rainfall (shown by dotted line) each hori-
zontal line represents 2 inches.
Having laid before the reader a chart of the tempera-
ture and rainfall of the past half-century, we may inquire
whether, cTut of the great and diverse fluctuations, it is
possible to group the years into any marked series of dry
and wet, warm and cold. Do the weather records sus-
tain the old theory of the French habitants, that these
changes follow a seven-year period ?
For the sake of trial, I will here dispose the years since
1836 into groups of seven each, as in the following table:
1837-43 •
1844-50 .
1851-57 .
1858-64.
1865-71 .
1872-78 .
1879-85 ■
TEMPERATURE — DEC.
Mean.
46.5
48.4
46
48.6
48.4
47.8
49»5
Above
normal
0.5
0-5
0.5
o
1-5
Below
normal
1.9
RAINFALL — INCHES.
Mean.
28.2
29.7
33-5
32
28.4
35-
35.8
Above
normal
o
3
3.8
Below
normal
3.8
2-3
o
We see from this table a disposition on the part of the
temperature element to follow the supposed law for the
Digitized
by Google
FLUCTUA TIONS.—RECUJiRJNG PERIODS. 4.5 7
first four periods ; but the remaining three ignore it abso-
lutely. On the part of the precipitation there appears no
correspondence with any such law.
That there is a tendency to recurring periods of high
and low, in both elements, we have seen. Can we arrange
these into any system of grouping which shall show a
correspondence between them, — a system that shall not
be so broken in upon by violent and opposite extremes,
in single years or in small groups of years, as to defy
classification ?
Both the temperature and the rainfall are susceptible
of being grouped in periods of from ten to twelve years,
showing a quite uniform recurrence of the same condi-
tions. But after many attempts so to group these as to
exhibit a correspondence between the two elements with-
in the same intervals, — recurring periods common to each,
— the task was found to be hopeless. But the investiga-
tion finally led me to a discovery of the true relation
which exists between the two elements, and of the law
which seems to govern. The results appeared to be of
sufficient importance to be very fully set forth. This
I have attempted in a separate essay, forming Part III.
of these observations upon our climate, and to this the
interested reader is referred.
But apart from periodical forms of change, how great
have been the annual fluctuations ! Extreme wet and
extreme dry years are not always separated by consider-
able intervals, but the differences between contiguous
years are often great. (See diagram of rainfall.)
Thus immediately succeeding 1844, with its rain col-
umn at 34 inches, followed one of the dryest, 1845, with
its rainfall of only 22.5 inches. In the midst of the
high rainfall period, during which, in 1855, ^^^^ precipi-
Digitized
by Google
458
CLIMATE OF DETROIT.
tation rose to 42.5 inches, the column fell the next year
to 28.5 inches. During the long decline succeeding, the
column dropped, in 1865, to 21.3 inches, — the lowest on
my records. From this the recovery was gradual, to
the next high culmination of 36 inches, in 1868. In
1 87 1 the rainfall was again reduced to 22.6 inches, from
which low point it mounted by regular gradations, to its
extremest height, in 1880, of 47.7 inches.
These extremes indicate a total range of twenty-five
inches, or more than three-fourths of the mean annual
amount.
Fluctuations in the temperature exhibit a range con-
siderably greater, from 760 in 1858 — the highest summer
mean — to 190 in 1875 — the lowest winter mean; being a
divergence of 57^,or a fifth more than the annual mean.
The mean annual or periodical temperatures are, however,
quite uniform, compared with those of the rainfall.
The decade of years that have been added to observa-
tion since my essay of 1874 serves to confirm the re-
mark then made, as to the equal distribution of the rain-
fall throughout the seasons in this favored locality. And
while no important differences are shown in regard to
the means of the seasons, and their relations to places
east and west of Detroit, as pointed out in my former
remarks on ** The Effect of the Lakes upon the Temper-
ature,'* these are sufficient to modify in some particulars
the comparisons then instituted, while they tend rather
to confirm than diminish the favorable aspects.
Among sundry weather predicates, I there laid down
the following : — " Cold and snowy winters are certain to
be followed by cold and backward springs. To this law
my records show no exception." The year 1884 would
almost cls^im to be considered an exception to the rwle.
Digitized
by Google
REIGN OF LAW,
459
But notwithstanding its continuance of cold and snow,
the mean temperature of the winter (1883 and 1884) was
20 above the normal, while the spring was but 1.50 above.
So the exception is apparent only. Continued observa-
tion has only served to confirm the law thus laid down.
It is a not uncommon remark, often heard at the close
of a very severe winter, that the succeeding spring will
be of an opposite character ; the idea being that nature
is bound to afford this result by way of compensation.
But such criticism ignores the fact that nature takes her
own time for her compensations, and seldom or never in
the precise way, or at the exact time, which our imper-
fect faculties demand. In fact the case is exceptional in
which an extreme year, whether of heat or cold, drought
or wet, is immediately followed by one of a reverse char-
acter. But the change is sure to come. Man needs only
to extend his observation, and to carefully treasure his
facts, to find nature working by uniform and unerring
laws. Nay more, that the hardships of her extremes are
fully compensated by ever recurring benefits.
"From seeming evil still educing good,
And better thence again, and better still,
In infinite progression."
Digitized
by Google
00
00
O
O
3
460
Digitized
by Google
CLIMATE OF DETROIT AND THE LAKE
REGION.
Part III. — Periodical Changes in the Lake Lev-
els, Rainfall, Temperature and Sun-Spots;
AND Their Relations to Each Other.
CONNECTED with our considerations upon the cli-
mate is a subject which has excited great interest
since the first settlement of the country, and about which
much has been written, for the most part vaguely. I allude
to the variations in the levels of the lake waters.
Many causes contribute to create a perpetual fluctua-
tion, or rise and fall, in these inland seas.
First. A possible lunar tide; but so small and so
broken in upon by greater causes as to be of very un-
certain value.
Second. The winds, which often cause a difference in
level of many feet ; strong westerly winds causing a rise
at one place, and easterly winds at another. These
changes are irregular and transient, but often considera-
ble in amount, ranging from two to five feet.
Third. Annual variation attendant upon the seasons
and confined to the year. This kind of fluctuation is
a winter and summer movement. The supply from
streams and rains being wholly or partially checked in
the cold season, the water is gradually drawn away, low-
ering the general level, which reaches its lowest ebb
about January or February. As spring advances, with
461
Digitized
by Google
462 CLIMATE OF THE LAKE REGION,
melting snows and increased rainfall, the waters rise
gradually, and attain their greatest height in June or
July. They then begin to fall again to their winter
level. The extreme of this variation is about 2.30 feet,
and is about the same in Lake Erie as in Detroit River.
Fourth. A rise and fall of the waters of the lakes and
their connecting channels, extending through several
years, and amounting to an extreme difference of five
feet. Upon this kind of fluctuation Col. Chas. Whittle-
sey has bestowed the name of ** secular variation."
The causes of this variation were long involved in
much mystery. According to the old French tradition,
it is independent of the seasons, and follows periodical
intervals of seven years. To what extent these intervals
of high and low water are regular in their recurrence, and
how far they are connected with meteorological or astro-
nomical causes, can be determined only after continuous
and exact observations for a long series of years.
It is hardly more than a decade since the United
States Signal Service has given scientific exactness to ob-
servations, and not over 30 years since thoroughly reliable
statistics have been tabulated. Records of independent
observers often differ widely, and though the writer has
culled from different sources data sufficient to enable him
to construct a diagram for this region, covering the past 50
years, and even more, many of these data are of uncer-
tain value. For a period of 33 years, beginning with
1853, ^ record has been kept by the Detroit Water Board
of the daily fluctuations in the level of the river, and par-
tial records exist of other years since 1835.
In a comparison between the height of water in the
river arid the rainfall at Detroit, no conclusions drawn
from these data will apply rigidly to the lakes above and
Digitized
by Google
LAKE PERIODICAL FLUCTUATIONS. 463
below. The river levels are influenced not alone by the
precipitation on its borders, but by the supply from
above. Other causes contribute to its irregularities, —
local rains, confined channel, rapid current. While a
sudden increase in the precipitation will affect the broad
surfaces of the lakes uniformly, a rise would take place at
such times in the confined straits to a disproportionate
extent. In discussing this so-called ** secular ** variation
it becomes necessary to procure data from outside
sources.
Milwaukee represents well Lake Michigan, and Cleve-
land, Lake Erie. Each is about half way between the
head and foot of the lake upon which it is situated, and
where the changes may fairly be considered as means of
the whole. From Milwaukee I have a table of the rain-
fall from 1844 to 1886, and of the *' secular'* variations
of Lake Michigan from 1859 ^o 1882. Fro'm Cleveland,
of the rainfall from 1856 to 1886, and of the lake varia-
tions since 1859.
At each of these places the standard or plane of refer-
ence is the high water of 1838. The standard at Detroit
is an arbitrary one, namely, the water-table at the Hy-
draulic Works. The mean of the last 50 years is five feet
below that standard, and corresponds, as nearly as I can
determine, to one foot below the mean of 1838, and two
feet below the extreme of June of that year.
Of the fluctuations of the water prior to the period
mentioned the only data are derived from the recollec-
tions of old settlers. These, though often indefinite and
sometimes faulty, are yet of great value. Dr. Houghton,
in his report of 1839, gives certain concordant state-
ments of old inhabitants, going back as far as 1800. In
a paper published in " Smithsonian Contributions,** Vol.
Digitized
by Google
464
CLIMATE OF THE LAKE REGION.
XII., Col. Charles Whittlesey has collected items from all
sources within his reach, going back as far as 1788. Vague
as many of these details are, there is so much that is of
definite value, that it seems to me possible to construct
a curve of the levels of Lake Erie for the whole period,
which should exhibit, with tolerable accuracy, the highest
and lowest extremes at least. As I propose to use these
aids in formulating certain conclusions, I ought here to
give the reader opportunity to form his own judgment as
to their value and authority.
To begin, it may be taken as universally admitted that
the lakes were at a higher level in 1838 than at any
known period before. In confirmation of this is the fact,
among others, that forest trees of a century's growth and
more were killed by the high water of that year. Two
other eras of^ very high water are reported by tradition,
the one in 1814-15, the other in 1788. * Facts and com-
parisons reported render it nearly certain that at both
these periods the levels attained to somewhere near the
standard of 1838. At the former date much land and
many buildings were submerged on the Detroit and St.
Clair rivers. Many statements also bear upon the fact of
high-water periods between the several dates mentioned.
Dr. Houghton relates, on the authority of Col. Henry
Whiting : ** Old inhabitants agree that the water was very
high in the years 1800 to 1802, roads along Detroit River
being completely inundated, and even rendered impassa-
ble." And further, that in 1821 the river began to rise,
**and in 1828 had again attained the elevation of 1815,
submerging wharves that had been built in the interval ;
and it so remained until 1830.'*
As to low extremes, it seems well ascertained that the
one of 1819-20 was the lowest known prior to 1841 —
Digitized
by Google
HIGH AND LOW LEVELS.
465
the low depression which succeeded the extreme eleva-
tion of 1838. Presumably it w-as the lowest known dur-
ing the century. Old Frenchmen of Detroit had no tradi-
tion of a level below that of 18 19. Statements regarding
the stage of the water always make reference to the
acknowledged highest and lowest years. Thus we are
enabled to fix upon and determine with considerable ex-
actness the relative values of other low periods. The
water in 1796 was reported by lake captains to be uni-
versally low, and indicating a level five feet below the high
extreme of 1838. From that year, they say, it rose rap-
idly, and continued to rise until 1800. Colonel Whit-
tlesey says, ** It was ascertained generally that the water
was low in 1790, 1796, 1802 and 1 8 10. Between February,
i8i9,and June, 1838, there was a continual rise, amounting
to 6 feet 8 inches." Old settlers compare the low stage of
1802 with that of 1797. In 1806 it was 'reported at
Cleveland lower than in 1 801-2, and declining regularly
to 1809-10. At this date it was reported nearly as low
at Buffalo as in 18 19. From 1828 it was reported as fall-
ing, and in 1833 was 3 feet 10 inches below June, 1838.
From this year on we are able to trace the "secular *'
periods of lake and river with considerable accuracy ; and
data also exist in regard to other elements which it is
proposed to include in our discussion. I give two dia-
grams, intended to exhibit graphically what is shown
more in* detail in the tables.
Diagram No. i (page 460) shows the curve of high and
low water of Lake Erie, from 1788 to 1838, constructed
in accordance with the above data. In connection with
it is given the sun-spot curve, from 1769 to 1838, accord-
ing to Wolfs tables, reference to which will be made
hereafter.
Digitized
by Google
<J
Q
<
Jz:
<j
PS
5 ^
H oo
<J OO
H
O
CO
CO
»
O
O
<J
O
<
466
Digitized
by Google
RAINFALL CURVES,
467
Diagram No. 2 (page 466) gives similar data for the
term of years from 1834 to 1886, including, in addition to
the curves of lake levels, those of the rainfall and of
the temperature (registered at Detroit), and the sun-
spots, according to Wolf*s tables.
In these diagrams my endeavor has been to exhibit
by curved lines the recurring maximum and minimum
periods, eliminating intermediate and irregular fluctua-
tions.
Confining our attention for the present to the curve of
Rainfall (diagram No. 2), let us endeavor to ascertain
whether among the many and often abrupt fluctuations
it is possible to discover any periodicity.
The vertical columns represent years. In the portion
devoted to the rainfall variations the horizontal lines
represent the number of inches of annual precipitation.
It will be noted that the years 1836 and 1880 were
times of excessive rainfall. Between these two extremes,
and about equidistant, appears another strongly-marked
period of excess, culminating in 1855. Again, between
these three maxima are two lesser extremes, culniinating
in 1844 and 1868. Thus our curved line marks five pe-
riods of maximum rainfall.
Of low extremes we note four, which have their cul-
minations in the years 1839, 1850, i860 and 1871.
The intervals between extremes vary from 8 to 13
years, the general mean being 10.8 years.
Let us now compare with these curves, those immedi-
ately below, and which represent the periodic changes in
the levels of Lake Erie during the half-century.
Here the horizontal lines represent the number of feet
below the plane of 1838.
It requires but a glance at the diagram to show that
Digitized
by Google
^68 CUM ATE OF THE LAKE REGION,
some relationship exists between the lake and rainfall pe-
riods. The first impression conveyed is that the curves
are in opposition — that the high in one corresponds with
the low in the other, and the reverse. But I think the
true relation will be made to appear when- we notice the
important fact (which I endeavor to render more appar-
ent by dotted lines), viz., that the water extremes lag be-
hind the rainfall extremes, — following them at intervals
from two to four years. Thus the seeming want pf co-
incidence is reduced to harmony. It will also appear
that the rainfall extremes are not only followed invariably
by corresponding fluctuations in the water levels, but that
these succeed each other in quite as marked and uniform
periods.
The rainfall maxima of J836, '44, '55, *68 and '80
have their corresponding extremes in the water maxima
of 1838, '47, *58, '70 ^"d '82, — the intervals or lag varying
from two to three years. The rainfall minima of 1839,
*50, '60, '*]2 and '84 have corresponding lake minima in
1841, '54, *65, and '75» — the intervals varying from two to
four years. The mean lag is 2.8 years. The true relation
— dependence — of the lake periodicities upon those of the
rainfall is thus clearly shown.
It will be observed that I have chosen to consider the
Lake Erie levels rather than those of Detroit River. I
do so for the reason that the relation of the former to the
precipitation are more simple and direct, and are not in-
fluenced by causes already pointed out (page 463), which
tend to create irregularities in the river. A marked illus-
tration is shown between the years 1859 ^^^ 1870, —
where dotted lines represent the rainfall at Milwaukee,
and the river levels as compare'd with those of Lake Erie,
— of the effect of excess of precipitation on the lake3
Digitized
by Google
TEMPERATURE AND RAINFALL CORRESPONDENCE,
469
above, in keeping up the river to a disproportionate
extent.
I do not consider it necessary to examine the various
theories which have been broached from time to time, in
explanation of the lake periodical fluctuations. Nor will
I undertake to explain all the irregularities of the river
and lake, which would demand many factors that are
wanting to the present discussion. It will suffice if I
have succeeded in making clear the relations which
exist between the variations of the water levels and )t:he
rainfall, and in defining their periodicities. Probably
few at this day would dispute the fact that the rise and
fall, or " secular " variations, in the waters are dependent
upon the rainfall. This is the first attem.pt, to my knowl-
edge, at demonstration of their true relations.
Thus far I have not alluded to the important element
of Temperature in its relation to rainfall. That an inti-
mate relation exists is an admitted fact ; it shall be my
endeavor to show what this relation is.
In the portion of the diagram devoted to the Detroit
temperature curve, the horizontal lines represent the de-
grees of mean annual temperature, which varies from 43 °,
the lowest, to 52°, the highest extreme. Considering
temperature as a controlling element, we should expect
to find a close correspondence between its curves and
those of the rainfall. And we do so find, as is shown
by the diagram. But, while the maxima and minima
of the rainfall and the lake are directly as each other, we
discover that those of the rainfall and the temperature
are inverse to each other. For a full discussion of the
relation between these two elements, no doubt we ought
to take into account other important factors — barometric
Digitized
by Google
470 CLIMATE OF THE LAKE REGION.
changes, winds, magnetic and other phenomena. The
conclusions of this paper are deduced only from the data
presented. Let us now compare the curves.
The maximum temperature periods of 1839, '48i *59i
'70 and '82 at Detroit will correspond to the minimum rain-
fall periods of 1839, '5o> '60, '^2 and '84, — if we credit to
the latter a lag or interval behind the temperature pe-
riods of naught to two years. The minimum temperature
periods of 1835, *43» *54» '66 and '76 correspond to the
maximum rainfall years 1836, '44, '55, *68 and '78 to '80,
with a lag varying from one to four years; the mean of
the lag being 1.8 years.
If this showing reverses the commonly received opinion
that high temperature is followed by extreme rainfall, I
can only say that the facts, as I find them, do not war-
rant any other conclusion. Let the reader attempt to
connect either the maxima or the minima of the curve of
temperature with the like periods of the rainfall, and he
will find it necessary to admit intervals of from six to
nine years, a conclusion which would be inconsistent
with any influence whatever.
I now turn to another element, or phenomenon, which
will be found to have an intimate bearing upon our inves-
tigation.
Recently, much speculation has been elicited by the
ascertained periodicity of spots on the sun*s disc. It is
now an admitted fact that the increase and decrease of
the spots affect the magnetic needle, and influence the
earth's magnetic and electrical condition. The extent to
which these affect the meteorology of our planet is a
moot question with the learned on these subjects.
Some noted observers in Europe and India maintain
Digitized
by Google
SUN-SPOT AND LAKE CURVES, 1769— 1834. 471
the theory of an influence exerted by the sun-spots upon
the rainfall, and this directly as the number of the
spots. In this lake region, attempts to establish or
define these relations have been few and unsatisfactory.
It will be my part to show that the sun-spots do decid-
edly influence the temperature, and indirectly the rainfall,
and that the curves of temperature correspond directly
with those of the sun-spots. This correspondence holds
not only as regards the maxima and minima periods, but
as to the general features of the two curves.
Wolfs tables of the sun-spots from 1769 to 1882
show ten periods of maxima, and as many of minima,
the spots ranging from o in a minimum year to 150 in
a maximum year. Of these periods, one-half are em-
braced within the sixty-six years from 1769 to 1834.
For this cycle there are no reliable statistics of temper-
ature and rainfall ; so that my data are confined to the
sun-spots and the lake periods, of which I present a tab-
ular statement, as supplementary to Diagram No. i.
Table No. i exhibits in groups : —
1. The years of maximum and minimum sun-spots
from 1769 to 1834, according to Wolf's numbers, — the
maxima and minima in separate columns.
2. The years of maximum and minimum levels of Lake
Erie, which are given in feet and tenths below the plane
of 1838, — the maxima and minima in separate columns.
3. The lag, or interval in time at which the periodic
changes in the lake follow inversely those of the sun-
spots. One column gives the number of years lag of
the lake maxima behind the sun-spot minima; the
other of the lake minima behind the sun maxima.
4. The sun and lake '^ periods'^ In one column are
given the number of years between each maximum of
Digitized
by Google
472
CLIMATE OF THE LAKE REGION,
sun-spots and the next preceding maximum, and, alter-
nately, the number of years between each minimum of
spots and the preceding minimum. In the other column
are given the like data for the lake periods.
TABLE NO. I.
MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM PERIODS OF SUN-SPOTS AND LAKE ERIE,
1 769-1834.
LAKE ERIE LEVELS.
Years.
Nt
No.
Below 1838
Feet & Tenths.
Plus.
-r
Minus
Lag.
til
'1+
^A C
1769.
1773
1779
1784'
1788
1796
1798
1800
1804
1809
I8IO
I8I4
I816
I8I9
1822
1827
1830
1833
1834
Means,
140
155
140
85
55
75
0.5
4.5
1.4
3-5
47 I 3-5
2
4.5
10
II
9
14
16
12
12
12
14
12.3
12
13
14
10
13
14
12.6
The phenomena which this table makes apparent are:
First, that what I have called the sun and lake periods ap-
proximate in length, and the means of each are nearly
identical, — 12.3 and 12.6 years. Second, that the sun and
lake periods are not synchronous, but that the changes in
the lake follow at considerable distance (lag) behind the
sun-spot times. Also that the lake maxima lag behind
Digitized
by Google
SUN-SPOTS, TEMPERATURE, ETC., 1834— 1886. 473
the sun-spot minima less than do the lake minima behind
the sun-spot maxima; the means being -respectively 3.5
and 4.5 years. That is to say, the waters fall more rapidly
than they rise, by the mean of a year. We shall see
presently how far these statements tally with the data
drawn from fuller sources, for the half-century succeed-
ing.
Let us now turn to Diagram No. 2, which exhibits the
sun-spot curves from 1834 to 1884, paralleled with those
of the temperature, the rainfall, and the lake.
We see five " periods *' of sun-spot maxima, culminat-
ing in the years 1838, '48, '60, '70 and '82 or '83, — the
number of spots at each varying from 95 to 150. And
five of sun-spot minima — in the years 1834, '44, '56, '6y
and '78, the spots in each varying from five to ten. The
maximum periods recur at intervals of eight to twelve
years — the mean being 10.6; the minimum periods at
intervals of ten to twelve years, — the mean being 11
years. With the aid of the accompanying Table No. 2,
we may proceed to compare results.
Table No. 2 aims to give in a succinct form all the data
which our discussion requires. These are grouped in col-
umns as follows :
The first group gives (in three columns) the sun-spot
data, in the same manner as in Table No. i, viz., the years
of maxima and minima, the number of spots at each, and
the lengths of the periods.
The second or temperature group gives (in two col-
umns) for those years of maxima and minima which con-
form to the sun-spot maxima and minima, the degrees of
temperature (the mean of the year at Detroit), and the
lengths of the periods.
Digitized
by Google
474
CLIMATE OF THE LAKE REGION.
k
>
06
<
o S
pu{q3q aii/^
•u}j^ uns
puiqaq 'xb)^
u
OS
H
J
< t
O
h
U
Q
•IIBJUIBH
puiqdq Jdeq
'spousj
•spouaj
•8^81
•spousj
'Sdqoui
•spou^d
'saqoui
•spou3d
CXDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Digitized
by Google
TABLE NO. 2.
475
vO
'*
u-j
to
ro
CO
Tf
to
'^
fO
ro
M
CO
M
c4
fO
-
1^
«
O
N
1^
ro
CJ
^
fO
lO
■*
fO
u->
M
ro
M
fO
fO
o
l-l
N
O
M
;j
I
*0
d
*•
2"
to
^i
fO
^
o
-
N
^
00
/v.
?
;3i
lO
VO
M
s
o
o
-
M
=
ON
o
VO
"»>
OO
r»..
«
-
-
N
N
■*
Tj-
<2
-
-
o
r<"
N
M
Tf ■
-
^
9
%
^
?
!?
to
«
r
M
-
o
M
s
r^
■*
^
^
?;
^
to
N
M
S
o
-
m
00
O
o
lO
1
ON
to
5
00 CO CO 00 00 00
VOVO
00 00
i-
Ov O N »OvO 00 Q <-•
VO t^ r^ r>. r^ t^oo oo
00 00 OO 00 00 00 00 00
§8
c
Digitized
by Google
476 CLIMATE OF THE LAKE REGION.
The rainfall has three groups. The first gives for De-
troit (in three columns) the maximum and minimum
periods, the precipitation in inches at each, and the lag or
interval at which each follows, inversely, behind those of
the temperature. Like data are given for the rainfall at
Milwaukee and at Cleveland, so far as I possess data,
omitting the column of lag.
For the water levels there are two groups, each show-
ing (in three separate columns) the periodicities, the meas-
urements in feet and tenths below the plane of 1838, and
the lag behind the rainfall at Detroit.
Lastly are given (as in Table No. i) the lag of the lake
behind the sun-spot periods, — lake maxima behind sun-
spot minima, and the reverse.
My aim is to exhibit those fluctuations in the elements
under discussion which conform to the sun-spot period-
icities, according to the law which seems to govern, viz.,
temperature directly as the sun-spots ; rainfall inversely
as the temperature ; lake levels directly as the rainfall,
and the periodical changes in each, following uniformly
those of the preceding or influencing element by a lag
of short interval ; and this increasing in length according
to the remoteness from the original source of influence.
When we consider that the sun is itself the ultimate
source of all our meteorological phenomena, the fact that
the periods of greater and less energy indicated by spots
on its disc have a well-marked relationship to the tem-
perature and rainfall is not surprising. While there are
many fluctuations for which no solution is attempted, it
suffices if we are able to point out well-defined maxima
and minima periodical fluctuations which <:onform to
each other within small limitations.
The proof does not rest alone upon the Detroit obser-
Digitized
by Google
RELA TIONSHIPS,
A77
vations. Though the rainfall at Milwaukee and Cleve-
land differs, often considerably, in times and amount, from
the Detroit record, we find a close conformity in the pe-
riods. In fact, there is almost identity in the periodic
means of all the elements contained in the table.
The two columns (on the right of the table) showing
the lag of Lake Erie behind the sun-spots at each period,
furnish a remarkable confirmation of the general conclu-
sions. Comparing the two tables, it will be seen that
the mean periodicity of the sun-spots is larger for the
first half-century than for the last, by 1.7 years. Yet the
same relation to the lake periods is maintained throughout
both cycles. The lag for the maxima and for the minima
periods is the same in both tables, the means being 3.5
years and 4.5 years respectively. This result is not
merely remarkable ; it would be incomprehensible on any
other theory than that here contended for. Its truth or
fallacy the reader has the means of determining if he will
closely study the details given in the table and the dia-
gram.
Another feature of too much importance to escape at-
tention is the difference in all the curves between the
scales of increase and of decrease. This is shown by the
diagram, and is computable from the tables. Thus,
the times of increase in the sun-spot curve, from minima
to maxima, are almost uniformly four years ; those of de-
crease, or from maxima to minima, six to eight years.
In the curve of the temperature these periodic times are
slightly larger in the rising, and slightly less in the falling
scale. The rainfall and the lake times are more irregular,
and fall short of such uniform proportions. As regards
the rainfall at Detroit the case seems to be reversed, the
rbing scale being accomplished in about seven years, and
Digitized
by Google
478
CLIMATE OF THE LAKE REGION,
the falling in about four years. The " secular periods "
of Lake Erie exhibit about equal scales. During the cycle
from 1779 to 1834 there is closer correspondence between
the lake and sun-spot times, the scales being about six
years and seven years, respectively. Is it not possible
that the traditional French weather-period of seven years
connects itself with this recurrence of a period of about
that length between one change and another?
Thus the cycle of change is " never ending, still begin-
ing." On its restless sea, man is tossed at the caprice of
billows, whose wave-lengths are intervals of eleven years.
The law of change runs through the scale from cold to
warm in about four years, repeated after intervals of seven ;
and through warm to cold in seven years, repeated after
intervals of four years. Meantime the changes from wet
to dry are accomplished in equal times, but in reversed
order, and after a delay of one or two years before the
concord begins.
To sum up, it seems to me demonstrated, as regards
this region : —
1. That the so-called "secular" changes in the levels
of the river and lakes are dependent upon the rainfall.
2. That these changes in their maxima and minima
fall behind the rainfall extremes in time, varying from
two to three years.
3. That the times of maximum and minimum rainfall
occur inversely as the temperature, and follow after, with
. mean intervals of one or two years.
4. That the times of maximum and minimum temper-
ature occur directly as the sun-spots, with very small or
no intervals.
5. That the times of high and low water of the lakes
Digitized
by Google
SUMMARY.
479
and river follow behind the sun-spots, inversely, by a
double lag, — of lake behind rainfall and of rainfall be-
hind sun-spots, — the mean of both being four years.
6. That the periods of maximum and minimum sun-
spots, temperature and rainfall have an intimate relation
to each other, and that this relation appears in the re-
spective periodicities, which differ but little, while the
means are nearly identical.
7. That the scale of increase, or interval from minimum
to maximum, of the sun-spots and the temperature is
considerably shorter than the scale of decrease ; the re-
verse being true as regards the rainfall. And thus the
intervals between cold and warm years, and between dry
and wet years, are less than those of the opposite condi-
tions by about three years.
The question naturally arises, How far do the con-
clusions here recorded afford a foundation for forecasting
the meteorology of the future ?
If all the wave periods were of equal lengths and
times, with sufficient allowance made for other factors not
within our present discussion, we ought to do so with
exactitude. But though our sovereign governor — the
sun — exhibits a considerable degree of regularity in the
increase and decrease of his spots, he has not as yet ad-
mitted us into the secret either of the cause or of the
extent and frequency of his variations.
We have also seen that while the curves of temperature
and rainfall are controlled by the sun-spot periods, their
times of maxima and minima are not therefore synchro-
nous. This is true to some extent as between the sun
and the temperature, while those of the rainfall are not
only inverse to, but lag behind, the temperature extremes,
with varying times. There follows therefore a difference,
Digitized
by Google
480 - CLIMATE OF THE LAKE REGION,
both in the lengths and the times of the periodicities' of
each. Owing to this lag, and its variation in time of one
to five years, it follows that when the temperature curve
is at its maximum or its minimum, that of the rainfall
is not necessarily at its lowest or its highest. In fact,
such a conjunction may be brought about in the progress
of time, that a wet period may correspond in time to a
warm one, and vice versUy and yet the law of opposites
continue absolutely persistent.
This observation applies with even greater force to
the lake curves, the lag in which is uniformly greater
than in those of precipitation. Thus it has happened
three times within the last half-century that high water
in Lake Erie has corresponded in time with a high sun-
spot period.
Another cause of lack of uniformity in the several
curves is found in the difference — already alluded to — be-
tween the lengths of the rising and the falling sides.
The result is a difference in the intervals between ex-
treme cold and warm years, and extreme wet and dry
ones, which would not be the case if the times of in-
crease and decrease were equal.
We observe also, in noting the curves of temperature,
as each approaches its low extreme, a sudden dropping
of the temperature from a somewhat regular gradation,
two to five degrees, during one, two or three years.
And in the approach to maxima a rise nearly as pre-
cipitate. This has its parallel in the rainfall, — the pre-
cipitation experiencing a sudden increase in the high ex-
tremes of from four to thirteen inches, and during low
extremes of from four to eight inches, within one or two
years.
In these records of the past century, imperfect as they
Digitized
by Google
4 HOROSCOPE, 481
are, will be found suggestions of more subtle and funda-
mental laws. The reader may notice a succession of
three large sun-spot waves or periods followed by three
lesser ones. They call to mind that succession of waves
in the sea, called by sailors " the three sisters/* and of the
three-day weather period with which we are familiar.
The conjecture may be warranted that we have here an
indication of a major vibration of a six-period duration.
It may be that all these cycles are but members of a
grander whole, whose circles reach beyond our present
ken, and to a perfect conception of which we may never
attain, except perchance in that good time coming, when
man*s knowledge shall equal his aspirations. These con-
siderations, and many more of which we are in ignorance,
must enter into a calculation of the true horoscope of
the future.
Nevertheless, we know that Nature governs by unvary-
ing law. Assuming that her periodicities will bring
about the same average results in the future as in the past
half-century, I might undertake to be in some sort her
interpreter of the coming events which cast their shadows
before, along the pathway of a few unborn years ; pro-
vided the same latitude be accorded me which was
claimed by the old almanac-makers, to qualify the record
with ** about .... these .... days.*'
Premising that the sun-spot curve, which for five
years had been on the rising scale, attained its maximum
in 1883, we may infer that the temperature is now on its
descending grade, and should reach its minimum by 1889
or 1890. The yearly mean, which for ten years past has
maintained an unusually high degree, with small range,
will fall rapidly five degrees or more. " Look out for ...
cold .... weather .... about .... these .... years."
Digitized
by Google
482 CLIMA TE OF THE LAKE REGION,
The rainfall, which, in accordance with its law of op-
position and of lag, fell in 1886 to the low measure of 25
inches, is likely to continue small for a year or more to
come. " Expect a . . . . period of drought .... about
. • . • this .... time." The increasing precipitation fol-
lowing should reach its maximum about the beginning
of the last cycle of the century, though the remaining
years promise small precipitation. Maxima, or wet pe-
riods, seem also to be indicated for the years 1903 or '04,
191 3 and 1924; and low, or dry periods, about 1895 or
'96, 1909 and 1 91 9 or '20.
Following these leads, lake and river levels will rise to
their culminations, it is probable, about 1894, 1906, 1916,
and 1927, and fall to low levels about 1888, 1899, ^9^2 or
'13, and 1 92 1. The depression of 1888 is likely to reach
a lower stage than any experienced since 1841.
None need be surprised ki the remaining years of the
century witness disasters to the husbandman from drought
and frosts, and to the business man from commercial dis-
asters and stagnation in trade.
The new century, though opening with cold and wet,
gives promise, in its first cycle, of returning general pros-
perity, inaugurated by abundant crops, and — if the na-
tion be wise — by freer trade, restored commerce, satisfied
wages, and solid wealth. Blessed be the sun-spots !
Digitized
by Google
THE WINTER SEASON.
Digitized
by Google
** Let Araby boast of her soft spicy gale.
And Persia her breeze from the rose-scented vale ;
Let orange trees scatter in wildness their balm,
Where sweet summer islands lie fragrant and calm ;
Give me the cold blast of my country again,
Careering o*er snow-covered mountain and plain,
And coming, though scentless, yet pure, to my breast,
With vigor and health from the cloudless Nor*- West."
Dr. J, K. Mitchell.
" All nature feels the renovating force
Of winter ; only to the thoughtless eye
Is ruin seen.**
Thomson.
Digitized
by Google
THE WINTER SEASON.
THE region bordering Detroit River and Lake Eriie
in its winter climate, exhibits signally the melio-
rating influence of large bodies of water. It experiences
an exemption from the greater degree of cold which pre-
vails in the same latitudes both east and west.
Some very cold days occur, when the mercury falls
below zero of Fahrenheit. The lowest degree registered
at Detroit during the last fifty years, from 1835 to 1886,
is — 20°. During the same cold storms in Central New
York and New England it fell to — 35*^ and — ^40^, and
even lower on the Western plains.
A great depth of snow is also rare, and it is not un-
common to have none sufficient for sleighing during a
whole winter, or, at most, for a few days only. At the
same time large bodies of snow lie upon the ground in
the central portions of this State, and through Canada
and the Eastern States.
Ordinarily winter cold fairly sets in about the end of
November, but frequently delays until December and
even January. December often presents a succession of
clear days, with a temperature below freezing at night,
and rising a little above it during the day ; a state of the
atmosphere very exhilarating, and which tempts to out-
of-door life and walking.
January is generally the coldest month, and the most
snowy. Frequently snow falls in sufficient quantity or
485
Digitized
by Google
486 OUR WINTERS.
persistence for good sleighing only in the latter part of
the month, continuing into the following month. By the
middle of February it is usual for the snow to disappear
for the remainder of the season.
Detroit River ordinarily is bridged with ice once or
twice during the winter, for a few days at a time. And
there have been seasons when teams have crossed on the
ice for weeks together.
On the other hand, winters are not infrequent when the
channel of the river has continued constantly open and
free from ice, except occasional floating masses from the
lakes above.
Generally this river is open to navigation a full month
before the ice leaves the harbor of Buffalo, or there is
passage for vessels through the Straits of Mackinaw.
Whenever any of the harbors of Lake Erie are open
it is a certainty that vessels may enter the harbor of
Detroit.
The first approach of winter in this climate is almost
always dismal. The frosty nights which precede would
be pleasant enough if they did not always come a little
too soon for our preparation, and when they are followed
by cloudless days, as is generally the case, the cold is in-
vigorating.
But the first snow is altogether another thing. No-
vember snows seldom lie long on the ground ; the sun is
still too powerful. They last, it may be, through one or
two cold days, and then thaw into slush and mud. The
atmosphere is then chilly and uncomfortable ; the earth
is wet and dirty. No word is too harsh to express the
utter discomfort of such days, which have all the gloom
of winter without any of its delights.
Digitized
by Google
ORDINAR Y FEA TURES,
487
In our variable climate but little dependence can be
placed on any long continuance of cold or heat. From
the fall of the leaf we know that summer has ended.
The hard frosts advertise the presence of winter, but after
his first frowns he often treats us to a long holiday of
genial smiles. Many days occur, even in midwinter,
when the air is mild and balmy as in summer ; when the
frost has altogether left us ; when even the mud is dried
up, and the river, free from its icy chains, flows majesti-
cally; days as bland and invigorating to soul and
body as it is possible to conceive. Such "spells" are
very common indeed in this locality, where there is
tisually so little snow, or long continuance of extreme
cold.
Whittier has well described this dream of summer in
winter :
** Bland as the morning breath of June
The south-west breezes play ;
And, through its haze, the winter noon
Seems warm as summer's day.
The snow-plumed Angel of the North
Has droppM his icy spear ;
Again the mossy earth looks forth,
Again the streams gush clear."
The winter of 1837-38 was of this *' open '* and genial
character. Navigation closed on the 8th of December,
but so mild was the following January that steamers
again made trips to Cleveland, and boats patrolled the
river during the whole month.
The first two months of 1842 were still more remarka-
ble for mildness, and this character of the winter pre-
vailed, not only in the neighborhood of Detroit, but
Digitized
by Google
488 OUR WINTER^.
throughout the northerly part of the United States. It
was accompanied with heavy and frequent rains, and con-
sequent extensive freshets. The Buffalo Journal of Jan.
30, says, ** For many days past the air has resembled
that of April. Yesterday was as bright and balmy as
those calm days of spring when all things animate are re-
joicing ; to-day a sad change to drizzling showers. Navi-
gation of our lake continues perfectly open."
The papers of Rochester (N. Y.) tell of " grass-hoppers
an inch long jumping about the gardens.**
Here the mean temperature of the season was about 4°
above the normal, of 27.3^. The maximum, of both Jan-
uary and February was 56°, the minimum +4° in
February. The precipitation was a little below the
winter average of 6 inches.
The winter of 1844-45 was of similar mildness. The
lake harbors below were open, and steamers plied be-
tween Buffalo and Detroit every month. In this neigh-
borhood the ground was bare of snow the entire winter,
and the ice men were able to harvest only three inches
thickness of ice from the river. The mean temperature
of the season was 3*^ above the normal, and the precipi-
tation 3 inches below. In the Eastern States, while the
season was uncommonly mild, severe snow-storms oc-
curred in February.
The winters of 1847-48 and of 1852-53, were also un-
commonly mild and without snow. During the first,
steamers made trips to Buffalo, and the Hudson River
was open in February, 1853.
The winter of 1857-58 until February was yet more
mild and open. From all parts of the country the report
is " no snow, and an atmosphere like spring.** On the
Digitized
by Google
MILD AND OPEN WINTERS,
489
last day of January violets were in bloom in my garden.
The winter of 1879-80 opened without frost and with
heavy rains at night. On the morning of December 15,
a light snow left its ermine mantle on tree and shrub, —
a glorious spectacle. Snow continued to fall to six inches
depth, and the thermometer fell to 12° and afterwards
to — 2^, which was the coldest of the winter. By
New Year s day all snow had disappeared in the prevail-
ing warm. Heavy rains fell early in the month, swell-
ing the streams and demoralizing the roads. By the
middle of the month the ground was bare, and so con-
tinued throughout that month and February.
The maximum temperature in January was 57°, min-
imum 19° ; maximum temperature in February was 60°,
minimum, 11 °. The mean of the whole season was 30*^,
or 6° above the average; the precipitation 8.9 inches, or
3 inches above the average.
The winters so far alluded to would be considered in
general language as **mild and open.*' Before proceed-
ing to notice those of an opposite character, it may be
well to see whether we can arrange the whole series into
two classes, with reference to the controlling elements.
Many winters are so changeable, yet so near the aver-
age in temperature, that it is not easy to determine to
which class they belong. But by arranging on one side
those whose mean is considerably above, and on the
other those which are below the winter mean of the
series, with the aid of general memoranda, a tabular
division may be made as below. In this table those
years whose means vary but little from each other, and
which are in immediate succession, are grouped together.
Digitized
by Google
490
OUR WINTERS.
CLASSIFICATION OF OUR WINTERS, WITH REFERENCE
TO TEMPERATURE.
1837 to 1842 .
1844-46
1848
1850
1853
1858-60.
1862-63
1869-71
1874
1876
1878
1880-82 . . . .
1884
Av.T.
No.
of years
Range .... 5. 5
Mean 29. 2
28
28
28
29
27.3
27-5
27 5
27-3
30
31
33
32.5
29
27
1836
1843
1847
1849
1851-52
1854-57
1861
1864-68
1872-73
1875
1877
1879
1883
1885
Range 2.
Mean 24.4
Av.T.
deg.
No. of
years.
23
26
26
26
26
24.5
26
25
24
19
24
22
24
25
23
Mean of the whole series = 27.3°
Here we find that of the 50 winters since 1835, 27 may
be classed as similar in character to those we above de-
scribed as " warm,*' averaging about 2° of temperature
above the normal ; and that 23 may be classed as " cold,"
their temperature averaging 3° below the normal. The
Digitized
by Google
COLD AND SNOWY WINTERS, 491
latter are universally followed by raw, cold and backward
springs. In fact the succeeding March is often more in
sympathy with winter than spring, and would find place
with it if nature had the making of our calendar.
Let us now notice some of the winters which contrast
with those we have described. The table shows how fre-
quently (but not invariably), a mild and open winter is
followed by a cold and stormy or snowy one.
Thus the winter which succeeded the mild one of 1842
was in striking contrast. Snow fell on Nov. 18, 1842,
followed by a steady cold and successive snowfalls, which
continued until April. Detroit River remained frozen
nearly the whole winter, and teams crossed on the ice
throughout March. With one week's exception, there
was good sleighing in and about Detroit until the 8th of
April. Lake Erie was so frozen over that teams are said
to have crossed, throughout the winter, from various
places on the south shore into Canada. It presented to
view a great icy plain, from which no water could be
seen. Large quantities of ice floated down the lake early
in the season, became wedged in and froze, in many
places probably in a solid mass to the bottom. Many
thought this shallow lake was a mass of ice throughout.
A Buffalo journal said that ** on going out a mile from
shore and cutting through the ice in three several places
the result was, 28, 29 J^ and 31 inches of as solid and
transparent an article as ever graced an ice-house."
The following March was practically a winter month
and can be appropriately described only in this connec-
tion. It was noticeable for its unprecedented snowfalls
throughout the United States.
On the i6th, snow fell in New York city to a depth of
Digitized
by Google
492 OUR WINTERS,
1 8 inches. At Washington, D. C, railway trains were
delayed a whole day by snow a foot in depth. Snow
fell throughout South Carolina, and reached even New
Orleans.
Through New York and the Eastern States the heavy
foot of this wintry spring fell with tremendous weight.
The storms seemed to rival those of Alpine regions. On
the 1 8th of March the train of cars which left Albany for
Boston, propelled by five locomotives, proceeded about
three miles, when it encountered such a depth of com-
pact snow that it was compelled to return.
On the next day the train which left Boston for Albany
proceeded six miles, when it became fast in the snow,
and the passengers left it and returned. In many places
the snow drifted 15 feet. In one place, east of Utica, it
is said to have been 40 feet deep.
A correspondent of the New York American^ writing
from Whitesboro, N. Y., under date of March 19, gives
a graphic description of the state of things in that region :
** On all sides of us, as far as the eye can penetrate, there
is a desolating expanse of virgin snow. There is not a
mountain around us that does not exhibit its towering
masses of snow, shining like precious stones in the morn-
ing sun, and moulded into all the. fantastic shapes that
the wildest fancy can invent. The valley is full. Every
road is embargoed. The Seneca turnpike, leading west
from Utica, was open yesterday only a mile-- The north-
ern road, leading up over the hills through Trenton, is as
unfurrowed by a track as the broad meadows on each
side of it. In truth, the entire land from Albany to Buf-
falo is an ocean of snow. The railroads have lost tbeir
occupation ! **
On the prairies west of Chicago trains were blocked
Digitized
by Google
STORMS OF WINTRY TIME,
493
Up by the snow many miles from the settlements, where
they remained for several days. No help could reach
them from any direction. The passengers subsisted on
oysters and other stores found in the cars, and burned up
seats and other portions of the cars for fuel.
The poets and story-tellers of Europe delight to give
us exaggerated descriptions of winter in his fierce aspects ;
but such an exhibition of ** the storms of wintry time,*'
it is probable, never occur in the same zone in any other
part of the world, except upon the high mountain tops of
Alpine regions.
So protracted a winter could not be otherwise than
fatally severe to cattle. In the inland parts of Michigan,
snow lay for several months three or four feet deep on a
level. Even in the woods about Detroit it was a foot in
depth. It is very unusual for cattle to be deprived of
grazing for so long a period. In the consequent failure
of fodder many farmers cut down trees, upon which
their " critters *' browsed, and managed thus to support
a meagre life. They perished by hundreds in all parts of
the State. The same was the case in Northern Ohio.
Many were killed " to save them.**
Yet it was reported that at Sault Ste. Marie and other
Northern places, the winter proved unusually mild and
open. The Ohio River was navigable from the middle
of February.
Cold and protracted as was this winter season, its mean
was but little below the normal, and the lowest minimum
was — 6° in February.
Following the unusually open and mild winter of
1848, that of 1848-49 set in about Christmas, with
snow, which continued throughout the season. In the in-
terior of the State and in Ohio fruit trees were killed by
Digitized
by Google
494
OUR WINTERS,
the severity or long continuance of the cold ; though the
lowest of the thermometer was but — 14® at Detroit, and
the snow-fall was only two-thirds the winter average.
The winter of 1855-56 was a very severe one. The
lowest degree noted here was — 14*^ ; but elsewhere in
the State it fell to — 24 ° . The usual January thaw did not
occur, nor was there a day during that month when the
snow melted, even in the sun. Cold continued through-
out February, with good sleighing, and only a slight
thaw. I find noted that I crossed on the ice to Canada,
wuth hundreds of others, railway passengers, on the
15th of March; the ferry-boats being unable to force a
passage.
Reports from all parts of the country indicated this
winter as one of general and unusual severity. Snow
fell throughout the Southern States, and ice formed at
Mobile.
January, 1857, was remarkable for its extremity of cold
all over the Union. On the 24th the thermometer indi-
cated — ^40° in northern New England. In central New
York — 30°. In portions of Michigan — 20 °. At Detroit
— 18°. At New Orleans it stood at 28° for three days.
A snow-storm occurred at the City of Mexico, lasting
several hours, — a most unusual phenomenon. Early in
February thaw set in, with heavy rains and melting of
the snow, which flooded the country. This was followed
by a second edition of winter, lasting, with frost and
snow, almost into the summer months.
The winter of 1872-73, succeeding the cold and stormy
one of '72, proved even more severe, though it followed
immediately upon a genial summer and dry autumn. It set
in during November, with considerable snow. During
December there was no complete thaw. A fall of snow,
Digitized
by Google
PHENOMENAL COLD,
495
of SIX inches, on the 20th, was followed by extreme cold.
On the 2 1st, the thermometer indicated — 14°, andon22d,
— 18°. This cold spell was general over the United
States. At the same period reports from Europe told
of drenching rains, causing immense floods in Italy, Ger-
many, France and England.
With us the abundance of snow made the holidays
lively, but did not assist to supply the water famine.
Cisterns were so low that many residents in the city
suburbs were compelled to resort to the river. The
drought was general over the State. The month closed
with a foot of snow in the streets of Detroit.
Storms continued through January, with deeply drifted
snows all over the Western States, broken only by a
single day's thaw (i6th), when rain fell in floods.
On January 23, 1873, set in one of the most violent
snow-storms ever experienced here. It continued all day,
with an easterly wind driving at the rate, apparently, of
40 or 50 miles an hour, with a blinding snow, which
fell a foot in depth. Snow continued to fall at intervals
the next day, but with less violent easterly wind. In-
tense cold followed. On 28th, my thermometer (Spring-
wells) indicated — 20°, but the Signal Service Office in
Detroit, recorded only — 12°.
February continued cold, with a few days of thaw, be-
ginning on the 1 8th, which removed most of the snow
from open grounds. On 23d, the mercury was again
below zero, from St. Louis to Philadelphia.
The remainder of the month was more moderate, but
March came in like a lion, with cold 5° below zero.
Notwithstanding the continued and abundant snow, the
winter precipitation, as determined by the Signal Service
Station, was only four inches, or two-thirds the normal
Digitized
by Google
496 OUR WINTERS,
amount. The temperature mean was 25 °, or two degrees
below normal.
The winter of 1874-75 was extremely cold, having the
lowest mean of any in my series, 19°. And very dry, —
the precipitation being 3.3 inches only, or half the normal
amount.
February was especially noted for its continued suc-
cession of cold waves, which were felt all over the United
States, the Pacific Isles and Europe. The temperature
iell to — 20° at Detroit, and was below zero for fourteen
days.
The winter of 1876-77 was of that peculiar character
which refuses definite classification.
December was steadily cold, -without thaw, except of
a single day's duration, and sleighing was in perfection
all the month. By the 20th the ice-houses were filled
with transparent blocks, a foot and more in thickness.
The grounding of ice at the islands and shallows in the
lower part of the river effected so complete a blockade,
as to set back the water, for many days, to an unusual
height at the wharves in the city, and so filled the whole
channel with heavy ice as greatly to impede the passage
of the ferry-boats. The railway-car ferries were on one
occasion, for a whole day, embargoed in the middle of
the stream, unable to advance or recede, the cars filled
with anxious passengers. The lowest degree reached by
the thermometer was — 9 ° , but the mean of the month
was 18.5°, or II degrees below thenormal. The amount
of snow-fall, converted to its liquid equivalent, was re-
ported as 1.9 inches, which is above the average.
January was also of steady cold, the sleighing constant
and good, without thaw until the 29th. The river re-
mained frozen over, and the ice crops were never so abun-
Digitized
by Google
AN UNCLASSIFIABLE WINTER.
497
dant and fine. The lowest temperature was — 5 ° , and the
mean of the month, 20°. Precipitation, one and a quar-
ter inches. Prevailing wind, south-west.
The thaw which began on the 29th January proved
to be the precursor of a complete and most extraor-
dinary change in the programme of the clerk of the
weather. February was as sunny and warm as the two
preceding months had been overcast and cold. A de-
lightful temperature prevailed throughout the month,
thawing by day and freezing by night, the snow grad-
ually disappearing. Frost also left the earth, and the
roads became uniformly hard and dry, — no mud, no ruts, no
rain, no snow, — and nearly every day balmy and cloud-
less. The highest barometer, with least range, the high-
est temperature and highest means of both, for the last
five years. The precipitation was almost too small to be
registered (0.04 inches), and the wind, which continued
to prevail from the south-west, had little velocity.
All this geniality was reversed by the spring which fol-
owed ; an account of which is reserved for my notes on
that season.
The long continued, severe cold of the winter of 1884-
8'5 is so fresh in the memory of all who undertake to read
these minutes that I will make a brief allusion to it only.
That winter is specially noticeable for the rapid succes-
sion of cold waves from the North-west, which involved
in their widespread sweep the greater part of the United
States, and were very remarkable.
But though the sensible cold was so severely felt, the
actual mean temperature was but 2° below the normal.
A low degree of temperature ran through the three
months, the minima being respectively — 6°, — 17° and
Digitizeel
by Google
498
OUR WINTERS.
— 12°. The precipitation was normal, and the weather
very changeable.
The advent of 1864 will be remembered for a very sud-
den and violent reversal of the temperature. Through-
out December the weather had been mild, with but little
frost, and the river contained only occasional masses of
floating ice. The last day of the year was attended with
rain, the wind being from the east and north-east. Late
at night the wind shifted to west, bringing extreme cold.
At 7 A.M. New Year's morning, the mercury indicated
— 5*^. It continued to fall during the day, and at night
stood at — 20°, passing through sixty degrees in twenty-
four hours ; from the summer of the temperate zone to
an arctic winter !
With us but little snow fell during this violent change.
The day was clear, with a strong west wind, which at
Buffalo raised the water of the lake twenty feet.
Westward the cold was preceded by a heavy snow-fall.
The railways terminating at Chicago were reported
stopped by snow. The mercury fell to — 28^ ° . At St.
Louis no trains arrived for two days, and the Mississippi
was closed by ice. The storm extended as far north as
Green Bay, and as far south as Kentucky. At Louisville
the thermometer fell from 49° to — 1°, and on New-
Year's day at 9 A.M. it had fallen as low as — 19>^*^ ; a
range of 68 >^ ° !
Much snow also fell in Maryland and along the upper
Potomac, with a temperature much below zero, greatly
to the distress of our army.
With the exception of this unprecedentedly cold storm,
the season was in no respect abnormal. But my general
Digitized
by Google
A TYPICAL WINTER,
499
notes of the remainder may be acceptable, as serving to
exhibit the ordinary character of winter in this locality.
Jan, 5. Snow on the ground this morning about four
inches, and being underlaid by a coat of ice, the sleighing
is good. Wind continues westerly.
Jan, 6. Since ist inst. the river has been frozen over,
and is crossed daily on foot. The ferries continue their
trips, but not with the usual regularity.
Jan. 12. Cold continues. Thermometer since ist inst.
has ranged between 10® and 20°, the sun shining out
frequently. On the morning of the 9th it was at o.
Snow has disappeared from the streets and roads, by in-
sensible evaporation, there having been no thaw. A
little is still left in the woods. The river is being crossed
above the ferry channels by sleighs, and an enterprising
individual has avoided the license law by erecting a
shanty on the ice, at the boundary line of the two na-
tions, where ** tangle-leg ** and " complete disability "
(the fashionable names for bad liquors) are dispensed
to chilled passengers. Too many find themselves, liter-
ally and metaphorically — to use a slang phrase — "half-
seas-over."
The Mississippi and Ohio are reported frozen over, and
crossed by teams as far down as Cairo.
Jan, 18. A two days* thaw leaves the ground bare, but
has not disturbed the thick-ribbed ice in the river. Since
the 1st there h?is been more or less sleighing.
Jan, 25. A thaw has been in progress for three days
past. This morning the broad expanse of the river is
free from ice ; even the floating cakes have disappeared.
The sun rises clear and beautiful upon the plying ferry-
boats, which are crossing in their usual tracks, as if no
ice-bound surface had so lately barred their progress.
Digitized
by Google
500
OUR WINTERS.
Jan, 27. A most lovely day, with clear, warm sun.
Thermometer at midday 60°.
Feb. 16. Since last entry the weather has been mild,
thawing during the day and scarcely freezing at night.
The earth is bare, and frost is out in many places. Yes-
terday was bright and balmy as April. To-day Boreas
descends upon us with bluster, and whirls the dust in
eddies.
Feb, 17. A cold change, with slight flurry of snow.
Thermometer at 7 A.M. — 3°.
Feb, 18. Thermometer at 7 A.M. — o; at noon 10°.
Roads are dry and good.
Feb, 29. Warmer. Thermometer at 7 A.M. 32°.
Feb, 29. The mild weather continues. Seldom frost,
even at night. Thermometer ranges from 32° to 40°;
days cloudy.
With the exception of the first ten days of January
there has been no sleighing in this neighborhood, but in
the interior and northerly parts of the peninsula the snow
has been sufficient for sleighing during a considerable
part of January and February.
The minimum temperature of February was — 3°.
The winds during January and February, west and west
by south and by north, only three easterly, and for a
short time.
It should be remembered that the. Signal Service was
not established at Detroit until 1871. Such phenomena
as I have noted are now being recor4ed as well as traced
to their sources, with a scientific accuracy and minuteness
that will not be looked for in these general notes.
Snowy winters are of great advantage to our farmers
and to those who make wood-craft an employment.
** Timber '* of all kinds is then best cut ; the frozen, snow-
Digitized
by Google
FOREST OCCUPATIONS.
501
covered earth facilitating the removal by sleds, from situ-
ations that are nearly or quite impracticable at other
seasons.
Wood has become of a value for fuel undreamed of a
few years ago, and is in so great demand that a large and
profitable business is done, mostly by small farmers, who
bring it to the city market from many miles, and from
lands where a short period ago it was an incumbrance, to
be got rid of by the usual wasteful process of wind-falling
and burning. Fire-wood and timber are also cut and
hauled to the river banks, from long distances, for re-
moval by boats in the summer to the markets of Detroit,
Chicago and other cities.
Within a few years an immense traffic has sprung up in
staves, hoops, and other barrel material, in the heavily
wooded districts along the river St. Clair, and elsewhere
in our State and Canada. It employs many vessels, some
of which are loaded from our wharves direct to Europe,
through the Welland Canal and the St. Lawrence. The
softer woods of Michigan forests have acquired a value
for many purposes which they did not possess a few
years ago. A winter of good sledding is of inestimable
advantage, in the transsport of these forest products to
the place of transshipment or manufacture. Though in
consequence of the uncertain character of our winters,
and of the increased distances of land transport, logs and
timber are now, in many places, drawn out by tram-
roads, built for the purpose.
Among these occupations I need make only a bare allu-
sion to the great pine lumber interest, and to the import-
ance to it of winters of snow and ice.
A trip to the pine woods in winter will well repay any
one who not only loves the forests at all seasons, even in
Digitized
by Google
04
<
o
p6
pa
iJ
£
i
<
o
2
S
P<
O
S02
Digitized
by Google
THE PINE WOODS IN WINTER. 503
the depth and gloom of the cold season, but who would
witness an exhilarating spectacle of the triumphs of
labor, and resolve the question. Whence come those im-
mense piles of boards and lumber that are daily used by
builders, in the infinite variety of structures, throughout
our land.
Such an excursion I made into Sanilac County, during
some pleasant days in February. A half-day's journey
from Port Huron brought us into the heart of the pine
district. Here the sleighing was superb, and the weather
all that could be wished for wood travel.
A light snow had fallen the night before, and the earth
was covered to the depth of a foot with a mantle of un-
sullied whiteness; in its crystalline purity a matchless
cr'eation ! We passed through much pine, hemlock and
beech forest. The new gift of the night rested on their
limbs and foliage, so that they drooped under the load.
What superb pictures they formed ! the crests of pure
white crowning, while they did not wholly conceal, the
green foliage, and adding a pendent grace to their nat-
ural beauty. How admirably defined each bending
bough, by contrast of its gleaming fringe with the dark
shade beneath!
" Every pine and fir and hemlock
Wore ermine too dear for an earl,
And the poorest twig on the elm tree
Was ridged inch deep with pearl."
Lowell.
And if each individual tree was a beautiful object, what
a magnificent spectacle their combination, as we entered
a dense forest of these evergreens ! The loftiest pines
reared their heads one hundred and fifty feet above our
own, crowned with their glittering diadems. Some of
Digitized
by Google
jO^ OUR WINTERS.
the hemlocks were but little less lofty ; while the smaller
trees and the underbrush formed a dense thicket, through
which the eye could penetrate but a short distance.
Much of the undergrowth consists of small beech trees,
which retain their leaves through the winter, changed to
delicate shades of brown.
All beneath — the soil and the fallen timber — reposed
under the deep, fleecy coverlet. For three days no wind
shook down the snow wreaths that the lightest touch of
the limbs in passing sufficed to bring in showers upon our
heads.
An orchard of fruit trees in full bloom may bear some
comparison with these snow-blossomed evergreens, but
it lacks the beauty of outline, the depth of foliage, and
the majesty of proportion. If anything could add to the
grandeur of a pine forest it is this crowning grace of
winter. The sunny South, with its palms and its tropic
scenes, has its own delights, but it cannot offer us such a
gift as this.
To the man of robust health, whose blood circulates
rapidly through his full veins, winter is a welcome season.
Only the shivering invalid fails to appreciate its peculiar
pleasures.
There is a keen sense of enjoyment which is known
only in winter. The sharp frosty air imparts to the
whole frame new life and vigor, and these react upon the
soul. There is a wild delight in breasting the storm, as
it howls along our pathway, the snow-flakes falling fast
and thick, covering every familiar object, and imparting
a new aspect to the face of nature. How lovely this
spotless mantle in its purity, fit to be the gift from
Heaven which it is ! It is joy even to wade through its
laborious depths.
Digitized
by Google
WINTER ENJOYMENTS. 505
See how the young people hail its coming ! Hear their
shouts of ecstasy, as they plunge into the drifts, or roll
huge balls to build snow fortresses or mock statues, or
hasten with their sleds to the hill-side ! How their cheeks
glow with the healthful excitement and the more impul-
sive life in the blood !
Now hurry out the sleighs! The jingling bells —
" merry bells," — the smooth, rapid motion, the absence
of rumbling wheels and noise and jolts, and the fresh,
bracing atmosphere, combine to create an enjoyment, a
rapture which is felt only where King Winter reigns ac-
knowledged. Farewell to mud, to dust and filth!
Welcome the new creation, the soft robe, covering all
earth's impurities; substituting for the faded garniture of
summer an all-investing robe of celestial purity.
Well may the farmer rejoice, who looks only with prac-
tical eye upon the seasons as they change ; for this snow-
cover is the best manure for his fields, costing neither
money nor cartage, and it is a shield of protection to all
tender-rooted crops against the heaving frosts.
The trees, lately stripped of their dresses, have put on
one which helps to relieve their barrenness. But are the
naked trees shorn of their beauty, because divested of
their summer clothing? On the contrary, at no time is
their beauty of form so apparent. Compare the nude
Apollo with the dressed statue of a modern hero ! Every
leafless tree has a character of its own, which is brought
to view more distinctly when each limb and minute twig
are printed upon the sky. It is a winter study full of in-
struction, and worthy an artist's eye, to note how differ-
ent and how distinguishable are the various species, in
those distinctive features of size, habit of growth, and ar-
rangement of branches^ which are more or less concealed
Digitized
by Google
5o6 OUR WINTERS.
by the summer drapery. There is a charm even in the
disclosures which the fall of the leaf has made, of the
deserted birds* nests, some pensile from the slender twig,
some securely fixed in a crotch of the limbs. No land-
scape painter can be perfect in his art who has not
studied — as how few do ! — the trees in their winter anat-
omy, noted their blue shadows upon the snow, and the
many other effects appreciated by the true student of
nature, in this her sternest but most entrancing aspect.
Now stir the fire, and draw the shutters close, and
wheel the sofa round. Let the wind whistle by or
breathe its loud sough ; let it bring King Frost and all the
furies in its train. At this ample fireside we are safe
from its chill blasts. Here all is warmth and light, and
thoughtful life, in cheerful contrast to the scenes of cold,
darkness and desolation without.
Gather around the parlor table, strewn with books, and
littered with articles that instruct or amuse the varied
members of the family. The long, long, delightful, so-
cial evening is before us ; such an evening as only the
season of short days and long nights can bring ; such as
is known only where Boreas reigns supreme. Who cares
how fiercely the storm rages ! Who cares what heaps of
snow are piled up by the sweeping blasts ! His fiercest
howls only add a new sense of security and enjoyment to
the winter fireside.
Little tired feet, that have been active all the after-
noon, playing in the snow bank, or on the slippery ice,
now rest in the genial warmth of the hearth, and after a
brief hour of reading, or song, or game, drag themselves
off to the welcome bed, leaving the older heads to their
conversation, their papers or their books. Nowhere is
the family tie so strong as by the winter fireside. No-
Digitized
by Google
WINTER EVENWG.
so;
where are the kindly feelings so aroused, not only for
the happy group around, but for those destitute ones,
who art this inclement period experience only its dis-
comforts and its bitterness.
Be active, then, to relieve the distresses of the poor,
ye who have such store of this world's comforts, as to
convert its most drear and perishing season into one of
amplest delight. Let the poor brutes, too, that are
dependent on thee, receive a double share of care and
solicitude, and let thy thanksgiving for bounties be-
stowed, and thy Christmas joy for Heaven's mercies to
thee and thine, be expressed by renewed efforts to dis-
pense the blessings thou hast so bountifully received.
Digitized
by Google
Digitized
by Google
SPRING-TIDE.
Digitized
by Google
" So forth issewM the seasons of the yeare :
First, lusty Spring, all dight in leaves of flowres,
That freshly budded and new bloomes did beare,
In which a thousand birds had built their bowres,
That severally sung to call forth paramours ;
And in his hand a iaelin he did beare,
And on his head (as fit for warlike stoures)
A gilt engraven morion he did weare ;
That as some did him love, so others did him feare."
Spenser.
Digitized
by Google
SPRING-TIDE.
IN this uncertain climate the hopes of the eager
watcher for spring are doomed to many and many a
disappointment.
March is not continually given to bluster. Sometimes
a succession of mild, sunny days, clinging to the very
skirts of winter, will swell the earliest buds almost to
bursting, and awaken the belief that the vernal season
of the poets has really come. We join in his rapturous
anticipations.
** Soon o'er our heads blithe April airs shall sing,
A thousand wild flowers round them shall unfold,
The green buds glisten in the dews of Spring,
And all be vernal rapture as of old."
Then winter again takes up the sceptre, which he had
but laid aside for an idle nap, and rules with increased
severity, as if to atone for the neglect, and cheat the poet
of his prophecy. He dallies with March, and coquets
with April, allowing to each intervals of favor, but un-
willing to yield to the bland usurper his ill ruled and
already broken kingdom. At last the milder power pre-
vails; the enfeebled frost-monarch contenting himself
with only occasional raids into his abandoned ter-
ritories.
The struggle during March is often mixed and bois-
511
Digitized
by Google
512
SPniNG.
terous enough. Now it blows a tempest, now breathes a
gentle calm ; now freezes at zero, now thaws rapidly at
summer heat. In the morning, snow; at night, a thunder-
storm. Now wet, now dry ; now sunshine, now cloud.
Days that call a seraph down, but speed him back on
the morrow to his more congenial heaven. Suppliant
month, that invites the birds, and greets their, opening
music with piping winds and crackling frosts ; that with
soft breath dissolves the snows into rippling streams,
but floods the land with water, embargoes it with mud,
stiffens it with ice. Month full of promise, full of
horror ! All welcome thy coming, all rejoice at thy
departure.
Yet how cheering to soul and body the first spring-like
days, — and we always have some such in March, at
farthest in April, — when the sun shines blandly ; blus-
tering Boreas has retired, exhausted by his late potent
efforts ; the soil reeks' with the dissolving snows ; the
ditches are full of clear, running water, and little stream-
lets ramify over the land ; fish run up from the river into
the fields by these new channels; the birds, returning
to their old haunts, by their first joyous notes bring back
the memory of past sunny days; flocks of water-fowl
wend their way up the river ; pigeons fly in large num-
bers over our heads. If an occasional snow-bank hedges
the fields, it is fast dissolving in the warm sun. In the
river, masses of ice, which so lately formed a solid bridge,
are broken into fragments, that rapidly disappear, soften-
ing, whitening, crumbling, and sinking or floating out of
sight.
Attracted by the genial warmth everybody is out of
doors ; the fires are allowed to expire on the neglected
hearth, and open doors permit the wind once more to
Digitized
by Google
CHARACTERISTICS, 5 1 3
circulate through the house. We tread again the long
unused walks in the garden and shrubberies, in field and
lawn, examine our cherished plants, to see whether the
cold hand of winter has dealt kindly with them ; while
visions of bursting buds, of early flowers, and of the uni-
versal life and bounty of nature, come over our spirits,
comforting as the visits of white-winged angels, and we
live whole seasons in the swift memories and hopes of a
single hour.
A succession of such sunny days in March, accom-
panied by powerful rains, and coming before the snows
have lost much of their winter depth, is certain to create
disastrous floods. I quote from my journal :
March. 20, 1865. We have accounts of floods all over
the Northern and Middle States. A larger quantity than
usual of snow had been left by the retreating winter, and
snow-storms were succeeded by heavy rains. The conse-
quences have been tremendous. Streams have risen sud-
denly to a height not known for many years, covering
miles of country, deluging cities as well as. fields, carry-
ing off houses, sheep, cattle and fences, sweeping away
bridges, even of stone and iron, tearing away the banks
of canals for miles, interrupting railway trains, the. tele-
graph, and the roads, so that whole days have passed
without intelligence between one part of the country
and another that had been in daily, if not hourly com-
munication. Millions of dollars in property are thus lost
in a day.
Happily our neighborhood is but little subject to dis-
asters from this cause, as it is seldom visited by a depth
of snow sufficient to cause a deluge on this sudden
'* breaking up '* of winter, and has no deep valleys to col-
lect into vast bodies the accumulated waters.
Digitized
by Google
5H
SFRTNG.
Sometimes, nevertheless, the spring rains are so violent
and copious as to cause destructive floods in this neigh-
borhood. Such was the case in April, 1836, which was
noted for a tremendous freshet, which destroyed roads
and bridges, doing a large amount of damage, though lit-
tle in comparison with the devastations occasioned by
the flood of 1865, through New York and Pennsylvania.
Ordinarily, in this locality, the advance of spring is
more slow and prolonged than it is a hundred miles to
the west and north, where the transition from winter to
summer takes place very frequently with scarcely an inter-
val that is worthy the name of spring. Here the season
is better characterized, though its natural limits are much
shorter than in Europe. But many instances of such
rapid transition are on my records.
The spring of 1841 followed a winter of little severity-
Lake navigation opened unusually early — in April. March
was rather mild, but with a mean temperature 3 ° below
the normal, of 34°. The season proved cold and back-
ward, retarded possibly by the presence pf large bodies
of ice floating off the Newfoundland coast, and even as
far south as latitude 41°. April and May had each a
mean temperature 4° or 5° below the normal (of
46° and 58° respectively).
There was much snow over the country throughout
April, and ice formed at Washington on 3d May. Fruit
trees were not in blossom until the 20th of that month,'
nor had the forests put forth scarcely a green leaf. On
the 22d May, summer burst upon us in full glory. Fruit
trees were in bloom, the forests quite green, and an
almost summer foliage clothed many of the trees and
shrubbery in the city yards. For several days successively
Digitized
by Google
VICISSITUDES, 5 1 5
the thermometer rose to 80° and above, during the after-
noons. The summer following proved warm and dry.
The spring of 1844 afforded an instance of a very
early as well as sudden advance of vegetation. The preced-
ing winter was mild, without snow and with very little ice.
March was also mild, and April had a mean temperature
8° above the normal. On the nth of that month hardly
a green leaf had appeared. Two days later gardens were
quite green and many fruit trees in blossom. Frosts fol-
lowed in May, and both spring and summer were very
wet.
The opening of 1845 exhibited in a still stronger de-
gree the contrasts which are so common between our
spring seasons, and shows how extreme often is the di-
versity. The spring followed a winter of uncommon
openness, which is described in my chapter on Winter.
On 3d March steamers had commenced regular trips to
ports on Lake Erie. Frost had left the ground for fully
a week, and roads were quite dry. On the i ith, forest trees
showed blossom, and vegetation began to advance. In
a few days more farming and gardening operations were
in vigorous progress. A week only of freezing weather
occurred in March, although the mean temperature was
below the normal. No untimely frosts subsequently
marred the prospects of the year, which proved warm
and dry.
The spring of 1855 followed a cold and snowy winter,
protracted into April; On the 20th of that month the
mercury leaped to 80°, giving a sudden start to vegeta-
tion, and bringing the elms and maples into blow. No
such high temperature was experienced in May or June,
and the summer was cold and wet.
The spring of 1857 was of a character still more
Digitized
by Google
5i6 sPRi/m.
marked. An extremely cold and stormy winter, pro-
longed far beyond the ordinary period, chilled the lap of
May. Until the last week of that month no influence of
the spring was apparent. The last two days of May
and first day of June were very warm, my Fahrenheit in-
dicating 80° and 85®. Vegetation started with wonder-
ful vigor, so that in three days, from the nakedness of
winter every shrub and tree burst into leaf and blossom.
A cool and moist summer succeeded.
Sudden changes in the opposite extreme are not infre-
quent in spring. That of 1862 succeeded a very mild
and equable winter, whose temperature had at no time
fallen below zero. During the latter half of April, the
heat had been almost oppressive. On the i8th May,
with a strong wind from the N. W., the temperature fell
in two hours from almost summer heat to below 40°.
Fruit trees had been in bloom for more than a week.
This cold snap was followed by frosts which did much
damage. The remainder of the year was pleasant and
dry.
An equally violent change occurred in the spring of
1874, though following a winter which had been rather
mild, with abundant snow. March came in decidedly
lamb-like. Bluebirds, robins and song sparrows were
around quite numerously as early as the 2d, and the
month continued dry and of normal femperature to its
close. The whole of April was dry, cold and blustering,
with a mean temperature nine degrees below normal.
Dry and cool weather accompanied sharp easterly winds
until May 7. Then a sudden change occurred. A
prevailing cold, which made overcoats desirable out of
doors, and fires within, resolved itself into summer heat.
On the 8th the mercury rose from a maximum of fifty-
Digitized
by Google
CONTRASTS.
S17
eight degrees and a minimum below freezing, of the
previous day, to eighty degrees, which it maintained
from noon till 5 P.M. On the 9th it rose to eighty-five
degrees. On the loth, to eighty-nine degrees. We
experienced a heated term of six days* duration. Until
the 8th of May no green thing was visible, except grass.
During the day following many shrubs came into leaf.
By the loth, a general tint of green pervaded garden and
forest. On the 12th I gathered a brilliant bouquet from
my peach, apple, pear, cherry and plum trees. On the
15th came a welcome rain, with cooler temperature, fol-
lowed by light frosts. The mean of the month was
fifty-nine degrees, thirteen degrees above the normal!
The succeeding summer was not an unusual one, either
as to temperature or rainfall.
Other vicissitudes of spring-time deserve mention.
Snow-storms late in April are not infrequent.
In 1854 a severe snow-storm set in on Good Friday,
April 14th, lasting two days, the snow not disappearing
until after Easter. This storm visited the Atlantic coast
as far south as Virginia.
In 1856 snow also fell in April. The month of March
was exceedingly cold, and the river froze so as to be
crossed on the ice with teams on the 15th. A hard
frost occurred on the 30th of May.
The cold and late spring of 1857 has been already
alluded to. On the 20th of April a severe storm passed
over the country, leaving snow three feet deep through
portions of Western New York. The suspension bridge
at Rochester was broken down by the weight.
Reports of travellers, and particularly English rural
writers, have accustomed us to compare unfavorably the
character of our spring with that of Europe. Its capri-
Digitized
by Google
5i8
SPRING,
ciousness is, however, not wholly unknown on the other
side of the ocean, though it is there a less noted phe-
nomenon. A writer in the Spectator repudiates the idea
that the loveliness of the English spring is due to its
gradual advance and lingering stay ; he even lauds the
season of 1875 for its very opposite character. He says:
" It is the custom to talk of the beauty of an English
May, but for seven years back, at least, May has been a
work of shedding and of blight, — a shrinking of the
spirit and wilting of the trees. In almost all English
springs a large number of the leaves are crinkled by the
frosts which succeed the first burst into leaf, and happy
is the neighborhood in which a good proportion of the
leaves are not blackened as well as shrunken, in conse-
quence of the indomitable way in which winter keeps
returning and returning upon us after he has made
believe to go.**
This is a species of blight unknown to us, even in our
coldest or most capricious springs.
The spring of 1875 must have been imported from
America. The Spectator says of it : ** In England, almost
for the first time within what is now a very considerable
experience, the spring, long delayed, has come abruptly,
with all the softness of an early summer, and yet with
all the freshness of true spring. Not a single tree shows
those powerful signs of pinched or blackened leaves due
to the frosts which follow on soft weather. It is Hke the
weather which the returning trade wind brings to the
tropics when the rainy season is over, only without the
midday glare, perfect in its freshness and softness."
" The only drawback ** — the writer continues — " and
it is so rare a phenomenon in England that it is hardly
a drawback, is that there has been hardly any graduation
Digitized
by Google
INDICATIONS.
S19
visible in the leaf between the bud and the full bright
green of early summer. A day's rainfall, and then the
beeches and oaks and elms were all, as by one consent,
in full dress at once/*
This well describes our frequent experience, and
surely it is a consolation, accompanying what we have
considered a drawback, to know that it has its value and
a peculiar beauty in foreign eyes.
One of the earliest indications of returning spring-time
is the appearance of numerous flocks of wild ducks,
geese and swans, proceeding to new quarters up the
chain of rivers and lakes. This takes place in February
and March, not often in the winter month, unless there
is promise of a spring of unusual earliness. Sometimes
the flight is deferred until as late as April, a late spring
being always the accompaniment.
In the very cold and backward season of 1843, I
observed them going northward in the latter week of
March, and large flocks made their appearance, returning
upon their tracks, on the third of the following month.
Robins and bluebirds, the earliest harbingers of
spring among the songsters, always return to us in
March, as early as the first week, if the season be mild
and early, but they often delay their coming until the
middle or end of the month, if the spring prove late and
stormy. The yellow birds and the rest of the song tribe
soon follow, until all the groves are vocal.
How few know fully what a day in spring is who have
not been adventurous enough to rise with the dawn, and
commence the day when the birds begin theirs. Let me
describe a morning towards the end of May, when — I do
solemnly aver — I tried the experiment.
Digitized
by Google
520
SPRING.
The hour was three o'clock. Night yet held sway
over the sleeping earth, and all was silent, with the hush
that precedes the awakening. The moist air, loaded
with the odor of innumerable blossoms, breathed around
me a fragrance and freshness peculiar to the season and
the hour. Soon the solitary note of a chanticleer — " the
cock that is the trumpet to the morn *' — broke the
silence ; another and another answered, until the welkin
rang with their strains of rivalry. Dawn was but just vis-
ible, yet every cock for miles around ** with his lofty and
shrill-sounding throat,** was chanting defiance to the rest
of his sex, and arousing his feathered dames to the
duties of the day. A flush of light brightens the eastern
sky. It is the halo which precedes the chariot of
Phoebus, attended by Aurora and the dancing hours.
Notice the clear distinction drawn in the sacred writ-
ings between those three periods of early day, ** At
dawn, at cock-crowing, and in the momrng.*' A faint
blush of light always precedes the awakening of the
"bird of dawning,** as his full chorus does the period
when night fairly retreats before the " god of day.**
To many it would be a new sensation to be up at
dawn, or
** At the cock crow,
When the night is dying slowly
In the sky,
And the sea looks calm and holy,
Waiting for the dawn
Of the golden sun
Which draweth nigh.
When the mists are on the valley, shading
The river chill,
And the morning star is fading, fading.
Over the hill."
And now, while the mists are yet in the valley and on
Digitized by CjOOQIC
A SPRING MORNING,
521
the river, awakes the nuptial chorus of the birds. And
what a concert it is! As if each little musician had
aroused to a fresh sense of his happiness, and was striv-
ing to outdo all others in the expression of it. The
whole air is vocal. The strains mingle in a confused
medley, yet in perfect concord. Not one throat that
ever poured a note is silent now. One after another
takes up the strain, ever higher and higher, nearer and
nearer, until the very heaven resounds, and " Earth rolls
the raipturous hosanna round.** If you would hear this
sweet concert delay not until the sun is up, and not
until the summer. It is the birds* epithalamium. Its
set time is the dawn in spring.
Morning has now fairly broke, and human bipeds
begin to arouse from their beds of slumber, awakened by
the light. How pure and fresh the atmosphere is still ;
but the birds have finished their grand concert of thanks-
giving, and are busy finding breakfast for themselves or
for their little ones. To how many of us men doea the
day bring only care and wearying labor, without requital,
and without the soothing influences of morning. The
sun is in the heavens ; the discordant sounds of busy life
float upon the air ; all is tumult upon the earth. Man's
day has begun.
After the long deadness of winter, the first flowers
which greet us in our country rambles have a peculiar
attraction.
The most delicate among these, and one of the earliest,
is the little spring beauty {Claytonia Virgincid)^ very pure
and lily-like. It grows low, with the violets, and loves
to hide in the shadows and the fresh grass. Of the
violets we have eight or ten species, of all shades, from
Digitized
by Google
522 SPRING.
blue to yellow and white. They have an associate in
the anemone or wind flower, so called from its opening
in the winds of spring. Our species (nemerosd) is a very
modest flower, by no means so gorgeous as the several
European kinds.
Early in May the "openings,'* or lightly timbered
lands — which have so great extent on our peninsula,
though but little in our immediate vicinity — are beauti-
fully adorned.
Among the most conspicuous of the May gifts of
Flora, besides those already named, is the bold Wake-
robin, both white and pink ; the Litchnidia, purple and
fragrant ; Bellwort, yellow with spiral petals : Crane's-bill,
a crowfoot geranium, resembling a dwarf rose ; the yellow
Buttercup, of world-wide fame; the Lupine, purplish-
blue ; Lousewort, yellow and red ; Vetch, a small purple-
white blossom ; the Lady's-slipper, or Cypripedium, yel-
low and mottled, worthy to fit the foot of Venus ;
Painted-cup, brilliant scarlet, in its colored bracts ;
Strawberry and Whortleberry, the latter quite elegant
with its bell-shaped pink-and-white flower clusters.
These and many others are ever present and numerous.
They love to associate in family groups, each kind exclud-
ing from its favorite locality all others, except a few soli-
tary foreigners, who seem to be admitted by favor within
the home circle. They occupy as partiality dictates, one
tribe the undulating knolls, another the moist hollows.
Some court the shade, others the fervid sun in the more
open spaces, and all seem to set at defiance the withering
fires that annually sweep these glades.
As a means of useful comparison, I add the periods of
bloom of some spring flowers of this locality, as reported
Digitized
by Google
J
SPRING FLOWERS^TINTS,
523
to me by a botanical friend.* Purple Spring Cress {Car-
damine purpurea) is in flower by April 12, frequently ;
Spring Beauty by April 14 ; Marsh Marigold {Caltha
Pa/ustris),hy April 16; Anemone, Ranunculus and Blood-
root {Sanguinaria Canadensis)^ by April 18; Liverwort
(Hepatica acretiloba), as early often as the loth of March.
Among plants coming into flower from the middle to
the latter part of April are Blue Colosh {Caulophyllum
thalictroides) ; several of the Violets ( Viola blanda, cucul-
latay sagitata, Mulenbergii and pubescens\ Shepherd's purse
{Capsella bursa-pastoris)\ Ginseng {Ar alia trif olid) \ the
purple and white Trillium; Yellow Adder's - tongue
{Erythronium Americanum) \ Dutchman's breeches {Di-
centra cucularia) and the Sedge {Carex Pennsylvania),
So brilliant is the autumnal foliage in this climate, as
quite to eclipse our notice of the leaf tints of spring.
But these, if less brilliant, are scarcely less varied. Even
the grass has in its young green blade a velvety softness
which does not belong to summer. The stems of the
willows, which are among the earliest of our shrubs to
feel the enlivening influence of the vernal breath, assume
a brighter yellow, red and green, according to their spe-
cies, to which a liveliness is added by the young leaves
that venture forth so early. The maples show blossoms
of Indian red. The first leaves of apple-orchards have a
somewhat brownish tinge of darker green than after-
wards.
These lively tints of the fresh, young leaves contrast
finely with the evergreens that deepen the green of their
foliage with the advent of spring.
How refreshingly green is the grass, the first of the veg-
* Henry Gillman.
Digitized
by Google
524 SPRING.
etable world to be stimulated into vigor by dissolving
snows and April showers. How delicious to the sight is
this soft carpet of green, while the trees are awaiting the
warmer airs of June to put on " smiling nature's universal
robe." What luxuriant beauty of the unsodded tropics
can equal it !
A few general facts, drawn from my note-books, will
serve further to illustrate the progress of our spring
season.
The northward flight of ducks, geese and swans takes
place in March, from the first to the end. Robins and
bluebirds make their first appearance from March i to
20 ; the thrush, tanager, oriole and song-birds generally,
seldom before April, and frequently not until May.
The first signs of vegetation among our common trees
is seen in the blossoming of elms and maples, from March
ID to April 20, the average being April 10. The forests
are green with the young leaf seldom before the latter
part of April, the range being from April I to May 15,
and they are seldom in/«//ieaf before June.
The earliest fruit trees, as peach, cherry and plum,
come into bloom from middle of April to middle of May,
— a whole month's range, the average period being May 8.
Apple and pear are a week later. Our large French
'pear trees are quite regular in their period, and are
seldom full-crowned with their snowy blossoms earlier or
later than May 20.
The latest spring frosts may occur from April to June.
I shall close these general observations upon our
springs by quoting from my journals the weather notes
of a single season, taken rather at random. Those of 1877
Digitized
by Google
J
A TYPICAL SEASON'.
52s
tolerably well represent the general average, the mean
temperature of the three months being only a degree
below the normal ; that of March nearly 5° below, and of
April 2^ above.
The first two winter months which preceded were
cold and snowy. But February (as we have seen in our
notices of winters) was unusually mild and clear.
March 9. After several days of changeable and gusty
weather, with winds from all quarters of the heavens, a
storm set in yesterday, with fine snow and sleet, which
has ended in a fall of 6 inches. Heavier snows are re-
ported from the north and interior.
This evening (9th) an aurora was observed, lasting
from 7.30 to 1 1.30 P.M. It consisted of a single stationary
arch, without darting luminous beams.
20th. Since the 9th the ground has been covered with
snow, and the sleighing good, though but little hard frost.
This morning the trees were all mantled in thick hoar-
frost, and presented a glorious appearance in the clear
sun.
The snow soon began to thaw rapidly, and continued
to soften through the day, although the heavens were
covered with clouds after 10 A.M. About 6 P.M. the
clouds deepened, a colder wind coming from the N.E.,
and snow began to fall. At the same time thunder
was heard, and soon lightning began to play, very sharp
thunder following at very short intervals. At every re-
currence of the electric flash, the bell in the City Hall
tower rang a loud, clear tone. Hail, snow and sleet fell
in succession, and at 9 P.M. three inches of snow covered
the ground.
The cause of this unusual phenomenon is thus ex-
plained by the Signal Service observer at Detroit (Van
Digitized
by Google
526 SPUING.
Heusen) : " For some ten days preceding the storm there
had been a succession of mild polar waves, moving down
from the N.W., and during the same period a warm cur-
rent, highly charged with atmospheric electricity^ mov-
ing from the S.W. These two currents, one of cold,
dense, dry air, and containing a large amount of vapor,
met somewhere in the neighborhood near the south-west-
ern portion of Minnesota. The warm air being lighter,
ascended to the upper atmosphere, carrying with it the
vast amount of electricity it contained. The cooler air
clung to the surface of the earth, and this double current
moved rapidly eastward, continuing on its course to the
Atlantic seaboard, where its greatest violence was felt."
During March the prevailing wind was N.E. Highest
temperature 50°, lowest — 2°. Precipitation 5.43 inches.
The number of days on which snow or rain fell was 23.
Frosts on ist and 20th insts.
April 18/A. Thus far this month has been free from
snow and severe cold. Frost did not fully leave the
ground in shaded places before the middle of the month.
No signs of vegetation, except flowering of the maples,
until to-day, when, after a week's dry spell, rain has fall-
en, quite saturating the soil. 22d. — The warm, sunny
weather which followed has started the buds of early
plants, and made the grass quite green. Crocuses and a
few early garden flowers have been a week in bloom.
28/A. Rain last night. The temperature continues
very mild ; buds are opening on the trees. Thermometer
averages about 75 ° at noon. 30/A. — Vegetation is very
backward, notwithstanding the mean temperature has
been higher than for the last five years. The highest
temperature in April, 75 ° ; lowest, 20. Prevailing wind
Digitized
by Google
A TYPICAL SPRING.
527
N.E. Rainfall 3.27 inches. Much and thick ice still in
the upper lake waters.
May 6th, No rain as yet, but cold, dry winds from
easterly directions, with frosts every night until 4th.
nth, — Cold and dry easterly winds continue, without rain
sufficient to saturate the soil. Yet the forces of nature
are at work visibly and daily in perfecting the leaf and
blossom. The maples are coming into young leaf, and
the horse-chestnuts are quite green. Currant bushes in
flower ; also cherry trees, but not the shad {Mespilus) nor
the Judas-tree.
iZth. Dry weather continued until 1 6th, when a very
copious rain fell during the night and morning of 17th.
This was followed by a great change in the temperature,
which rose from about 70° — the highest heretofore — to
82° throughout most of the day on the 17th, and on
the 1 8th to 88 ° , with a burning sun. Vegetation felt this
extraordinary change most sensibly. The leaves of the
maples and chestnuts, which three days ago were only
one-fourth grown, are now of full size. The later trees,
lindens, oaks and hickories are quite green; cherries,
peaches and pears are in full blow, and the shad and
Judas-tree nearly so. 20th, — French pear trees in full blos-
som. The extreme dryness of the season has given cause
for forest fires in Northern Michigan and in Wisconsin,
and some of the Eastern States. In some instances much
destruction has occurred.
The rainfall for May has been only 0.90 in. against 5.62
last year, and a normal precipitation of 3.4 inches. The
mean temperature is the normal one of 57°, but the range
has been considerable. Prevailing wind, S.W.
An aurora of unusual splendor occurred on the 28th,
Digitized
by Google
528
SPRING,
a description of which I condense from the report of the
Signal Service officer at Detroit :
*' It consisted of three arches of h'ght, one over the
other, the last extending to the zenith. Slender, lumi-
nous beams of yellow and crimson followed, darting up-
ward from the horizon, and waving like flame. These
all grew more and more brilliant for an hour, when a
complete corona of glory was formed. The spectacle was
then most magnificent. The whole northern half of the
heavens, to a poiftt lo degrees south of the zenith, was
one mass of quivering flame, in which all the colors of
the rainbow seemed blended. The rays of light arranged
themselves in sinuous bands, like the undulations of a
flag. At times these united to form a brilliant fringed
curtain, whose folds were agitated by the wind in an
immense variety of most graceful curves. After the
formation of the corona, tremulous waves of light, in
rapid succession, rolled upward, and travelled along the
lines of the auroral arches. The southern sky was of
inky blackness. After more than an hour the arches
broke into segments, and the aurora disappeared.*'
Digitized
by Google
OUR SUMMERS.
Digitized
by Google
" From brightening fields of ether fair disclosed,
Child of the sun, refulgent Summer comes,
In pride of youth, and felt through Nature's depth :
He comes attended by the sultry Hours,
And ever fanning Breezes on his way."
Thomson.
Digitized
by Google
OUR SUMMERS.
THE first of our summer months is undoubtedly with
us one of the most enjoyable of the year. The
labors of planting and preparing the soil for the long
awaited vegetation are concluded ; the dangers from
frosts and blasting winds are over ; we have a full real-
ization of what the coming season of growth is to afford.
Our keen sense of the change from the nakedness of
winter to the greenness and bloom of nature is not yet
blunted by long fruition. Nor have we yet been parched
by the summer heats.
What a month of months is our Northern June ! The
trees lately so bare, or showing only the delicate tints of
spring, have now perfected their foliage, and are fresh and
lustrous as young brides adorned for their husbands. The
evergreens are illuminating their sombre mourning suits
with an embroidery of a new and lighter growth, that,
like half-tints in a widow's weeds, betoken relief from the
thraldom of sorrow, while they add enhanced beauty.
How richly green the soft carpet that covers the ground !
What land can compare with ours, at this season, for
diversity of leaf and tint, and depth of color ? Where is
the tropical landscape that, with all its luxuriance, can
compete with it, or that can compensate by its tangle and
variety for the absence of turf ? Trees and grass make
a paradise of any Northern home, nor need we envy those
sun-burned lands where that chief element of beauty — the
greensward — is wanting.
Digitized
by Google
532
OUR SUMMERS,
Month of roses and of birds among the bowers!
Month, too, of those luscious fruits, strawberries and
cherries, which give us a foretaste of the bounties of
summer, the first of that succession of delicious small
fruits which no other clime produces in such exquisite
perfection. Raspberries, currants, blackberries and
whortleberries fill up the whole period until autumn,
to be followed by the larger but equally characteristic
fruits, pears, apples, plums, peaches and grapes. Short
as our period of vegetation is, ft more than rivals the
tropics in the brief abundance, as well as exquisite flavor
of its productions. The deep sleep of winter seems to be
necessary to so brave an awakening. Nor is it in fruits
alone that this climate so excels ; the round of vegetables
also feels the superior influence, and gives us — happy
dwellers in the temperate zone — what no other clime can
furnish in perfection. I mention but one, — ^the lordly
and incomparable " Indian corn.** Ab una disce omnes !
Sudden as is the transition of winter into summer, and
short as that summer is, it is full of tropical character.
Sometimes, for days together, the temperature exceeds
that which is experienced under the equator, I have
known persons born under the line, or accustomed to
the sun of the West Indies, who complained of the op-
pressive heat of our Northern summer, and wished them-
selves escaped to the cooler airs of the tropics. At such
periods vegetation is stimulated into excessive activity,
and plants of a certain class are produced and ripen in an
incredibly short time. An instance, universally known,
is that American plant, the Maize, which comes to per-
fection even several degrees further north, while it refuses
to grow with equal luxuriance in the extreme South.
Allied to the sugar-cane, its rapid endogenous growth, its
Digitized
by Google
I
Tropical character.
533
long sheathing leaves, tasselled top and silky ears, and
its stately appearance, remind us of tropical productions.
What a magnificent specimen of the grass kind it is!
And the full corn in the ear, — how unspeakably superior
to all other known grains ! No wonder our Puritan an-
cestors, under the spell of this new-found wonder, lived
and flourished on hasty-pudding. Or that Barlow, one of
the earliest of our poets, should sing of the maize —
" Thy constellation ruled my natal morn,
And all my bones were made of Indian corn.**
The daily extension of the blades of maize may be
counted by inches, and on a still, warm summer flight the
crackling sounds of growth may be distinctly heard.
Still more astonishing is the rapidity with which the
coarser vines, squash and pumpkin — natives, too, of
America and its temperate clime — push themselves
along ; a foot in twenty-four hours being no uncommon
growth during our torrid days ! But the tropical char-
acter of our climate is perhaps better exhibited in the
facility and perfection with which many trees and plants
of really tropical origin, or closely allied to such, come
to perfection in our latitude. I may instance the castor-
bean among herbaceous plants, and the tulip-tree, the
cucumber-magnolia and the pawpaw among trees.
Nor are other features wanting, to show how close is
the communion we hold during our brief summers with
those lands where summer is eternal. Usually our dry
atmosphere causes the nights to be cool, and even cold,
after a day of almost intolerable heat ; but there are, not
unfrequently, nights that in sultry fervor are truly tropical.
Nights in which it is enjoyment to dispense with all the
usual coverings.
Digitized
by Google
534
OUR SUMMERS.
Even the sounds are now tropical, and recall Hum-
boldt's description of insect life in South America.
The stridulous note of the Cicada is incessant. How
few have ever seen these insects, or are familiar with
their form and life, yet how they fill the whole palpitat-
ing air with the music of their love-notes. The melody
comes to our ears, not in a continuous strain, but in a
regular beat or throb, broken occasionally by a louder
note, which rises above, and for a moment overpowers,
the universal din.
About August the querulous Katy-dids add their
voices, and distinct above other sounds fill the ear with
their contentions. They do not scatter, like other cicada,
but congregate in some favorite spot in the grove, where,
undisturbed by a world full of wranglings of its own,
they may dispute upon the great problem of their lives,
still no nearer solution, — " Katy did, Katy did ; Katy
did-e-nt.** How well Holmes has written of them :
" 1 love to hear thy gentle voice, wherever thou art hid.
Thou testy little dogmatist, thou pretty Katy-did.
I think there is a knot of you beneath yon hollow tree ;
A knot of spinster Katy-dids, — do Katy-dids drink tea ?
" Do tell me where did Katy live, and what did Katy do ?
Was she so very fair and young, and yet so wicked too ?
Did Katy Iovq. some naughty man, or kiss more cheeks than one ?
I warrant Katy did no more than many a Kate has done."
What hosts of insects, brought to life by the heated
atmosphere, have the night for their season of active ex-
istence and enjoyment. Only a part of animated na-
ture sleeps through the hours of darkness. How little
we, who slumber, know of the world that is abroad
throughout the beautiful summer night.
Digitized
by Google
VOICES OF THE NIGHT.
535
There are " voices of the night " unsung by Long-
fellow. Some homely and familiar voices, scorned by
the vulgar, but which to the ear attuned to a harmony
untaught by human masters, are full of music.
From the marshy bayous of our river comes up at sum-
mer eventide the croak of frogs. A pleasing music is
the nightly concert of these dwellers in the reeds and
the shallow river-side. Was Pan their earliest instructor?
First there is a rattling falsetto of small notes, varied by
deep tones, like the heavy twang of a bass-viol. When
one of these big-voiced fellows tunes up, another and
sorhetimes a third strikes in, keeping up a simultaneous
clangor, of about five seconds duration. Then succeeds
an interval of silence, — a five-bar rest, — lasting fifteen or
twenty seconds, when the leader again assumes his viol,
and is assisted as before. These notes are heard a long way
off. On still nights they are very distinctly heard from
across the river, a full mile distant, a nightly challenge
from the Canuck to his Yankee cousins over the way.
Though his praises are not sung by poets, and to
many ears his notes are harsh, and suggestive of marsh
and. malaria, the association of the frog with the early
summer, with plashing waters and dropping rains, with
the early cowslip, and the fresh grass in the moist
meadow, make him a welcome attendant upon the season.
The note of the tree-frog is similar to that of his
small brother of the marsh, and is loud and incessant
throughout the night. These night voices do not assume
a continuous strain, fatiguing to the ear, but occur with
intervals of silence, like the measured breathings of a
sleeping person, and consist with rhythmical harmony.
Another pleasing sound of the summer night is the
sighing of the breeze in the tree-tops. It is like the rush
Digitized
by Google
536
OUR SUMMERS,
of waves upon the beach, subsiding with the same gentle
murmur, soothing in its crescendo and its fall.
Moonlight is a feature of the summer night, in the
neighborhood of the lakes, which the peculiar clearness
of the atmosphere renders exceedingly brilliant. Such
nights can be thoroughly enjoyed onl 
Live Music Archive
Librivox Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Internet Arcade
Console Living Room
Open Library
American Libraries
TV News
Understanding 9/11